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SAFE AND LEGAL - Ivana Bacik
spokesperson of the Safe and Legal in Ireland Campaign for Abortion
The Safe and Legal in Ireland campaign is of unique significance, as it represents the first major initiative aimed at moving forward on abortion in this country. Previous campaigns on abortion have always been led by anti-choice groups seeking further regressive and unworkable responses to abortion.
Since the first Constitutional referendum on abortion in 1983, Ireland has changed: more women living in Ireland access abortion services and more women feel angry and frustrated that they have to travel to Britain and other countries to secure these services. The only thing that has not changed is the lack of courage and leadership demonstrated by successive Governments in dealing with abortion in a realistic and rational way.
The Safe and Legal in Ireland campaign is all about ending the hypocrisy of exiling women in crisis pregnancy that choose to have an abortion. The campaign includes various strands, including a litigation strand, a public awareness strand and a national and international advocacy strand. We hope that the campaign will be the catalyst for what will become a very significant movement for legal abortion in Ireland. Over the coming months and years, we hope to mobilise people on this issue and secure political commitments particularly in advance of the next general election here in Ireland, about moving forward on abortion.
A key component of the campaign is the challenge by three Irish women, ABC v Ireland, in the European Court of Human Rights. This is different to the D case outlined below by Barbara Hewson, and ruled on recently in July 2006 as being inadmissable. The three women, ABC, are basing their complaint around four Articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. These include Article 8 with regard to the right of privacy in all family, home and personal interests, and entitlement to no public interference from any public authority in exercising this right; Article 3 which protects individuals from 'inhuman or degrading treatment'; Article 2 which affords protection of the law to safe-guard the life of an individual and Article 14 which affords rights and freedoms without discrimination on any grounds.
Next month, a website will go live, and a new enewsletter design will bring you ways of activating support to ensure that abortion will be safe and legal in Ireland. Please do join us. You can email slicampaign@eircom.net or text to 087 0559913 with your name and email. MAKE IT SAFE MAKE IT LEGAL.
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