Women in Ireland cannot wait any longer

Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2012

On Global Day for Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, Friday, 28th September, the NWCI calls on the Irish government to make publicly available the findings of the Expert Group and to introduce legislation for the constitutional right to an abortion in life threatening pregnancies.

Jacqueline Healy, Women's Health and Human Rights Worker with the NWCI said,

"Women in Ireland cannot wait any longer. It is inexcusable that twenty years after the X case there is still no legislation. Every day women have no option but to travel to another country to seek an abortion. These women experience unnecessary stigma, stress, isolation and discrimination, not to mention the significant financial, emotional and psychological burden. The government must take immediate action on this issue that goes to the core of women equality."

She continued,

"The NWCI would like to mark this Global Day of Action by calling on the Irish government to make publicly available findings of the Expert roup and to prioritise the introduction of legislation to implement the Supreme Court ruling in the X case and the judgement of the European Court of Justice in the A,B and C v Ireland case."

The NWCI made a submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe last month highlighting its dissatisfaction with the delay in introducing any substantive measures to implement the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the A, B and C cases.

According to a recent Sunday Times poll, 80% of eligible voters favour a change of law in order to permit abortion in cases where the life of the mother is at risk.

The NWCI will be present at the March for Choice which takes place on Saturday 29th of September at 2pm at The Spire, O Connell Street, Dublin 1.

For further information, please contact:
Silke Paasche, Communications Officer, NWCI: Tel. 085-8589104

Note to Editors

Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, 28th September
The Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion has its origin in Latin America where women's groups have been mobilizing around September 28 the last two decades to demand their governments to decriminalize abortion, to provide access to safe and affordable abortion services and to end stigma and discrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion. This date was chosen in commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Brazil which is now remembered as the day of the "free womb" demanding for safe and legal abortion for all women. The Global Day of Action seeks to raise awareness of the impact of restrictive abortion laws, the lack of adequate abortion services and barriers to accessing those services, all of which are violations of their human rights and lack of recognition of reproductive rights.