Pro Choice Campaigning

dublin | gender and sexuality | event notice Monday January 22, 2007 16:38 by Jane

Open Meeting

The meeting will take place at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer St.

"Pro-Choice Campaigning" is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro choice campaign in Ireland today.

It’s time to put the issue of Abortion Rights in Ireland back on the agenda.

Abortion is an issue that politicians and newspapers don’t want to talk about anymore.

In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably.

But the situation in Ireland hasn’t changed.

The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored.
Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights – only the Vatican City and Malta rival Ireland at European level.

Successive governments have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman’s life was in danger.
As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all.

This situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for womens’ rights in Ireland.

This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers.

People of all political persuasions and none are encouraged to attend.

A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.
Agenda

Workshop 1 – Abortion: A class analysis – Facilitated by Aileen O'Carroll (Workers' Solidarity Movement)
Workshop 2 – Pro-choice outreach campaigning – Facilitated by Ailbhe Smyth (Womens' Education and Research Resource Centre, UCD)
Workshop 3 – Direct Action – Facilitated by Aoife Cooke (RAG Collective)

This agenda is open to change and suggestions on the day.

The meeting will take place at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer St.

(Hosted by Labour Youth - everyone is welcome)