Event: Rally for Real Life!
Saturday 4th July, 2pm at the GPO Supported by RAG, Lashback, ChoiceIreland
In response to “Rally for Life” , Dublin feminists have decided to hold a concurrent protest, the Rally for Real Life! Come in purple, green or white (Irish suffragette colours!) and join in. Bring your own noise and placards!
Themes include:
Proper Sex Education
Free Contraception
Free Quality Childcare
Improvement in Maternity Services
Better Support for Single Mothers
Support for Low-Income Parents: (Re-Introduction of Early Childcare Allowance)
No Tax on Child Benefit
Free Impartial Crisis-Pregnancy Counselling
Proper Regulation of Crisis Pregnancy Agencies
Real Life
Support the Living
I’m super excited that this is happening, because I’m often struck down by the hypocrisy of pro-lifers. For example, when American legislator Cynthia Davis, tells hungry children to get a job, because she sure won’t be supporting free school lunch funding over the summer! If you’re going to support a child’s life then support a child’s life.
What bugs me the most about the Rally for Life website is there claim that Irish people “clearly want to keep abortion out of Ireland”. But guess what? Abortion already happens. As a sexually active woman living in Ireland, I had to face the facts and decide on my “what if” contingency plan, and frankly it was an upsetting moment. If that did come to pass, I discovered that I’d be joining the 4,600 Irish women who traveled to the UK last year (source) for an abortion, costing each woman between £400 and £1,500. Thankfully, there are allies across the sea trying to reduce this burden. But unfortunately, these costs are the best case scenario, as many under-privileged women can’t make this journey and instead abort in un-regulated and potentially life threatening situations.
Reducing abortions IS important. But as the IFPA states
International evidence indicates that the most effective way to bring about a reduction in unplanned pregnancies is to improve access to comprehensive family planning services, according to the IFPA’s chief executive Niall Behan. Despite this there have been funding cuts in family planning services in Ireland, he says.
So clearly it’s even more needed to get out there on Saturday and fight for these changes and advocate these realities! So come join us and Make Some Noise!!!
If you can’t make it on Saturday but still want to help, and/or would like more information about abortion and Ireland, please visit Safe & Legal in Ireland, they’re an amazing organization.
