Over a hundred activists attended a Dublin open meeting of the Abortion Rights Campaign on the 15th of June to discuss and plan the Campaign’s activity.
With a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment looking increasingly possible, the campaign was looking to expand, with ARC activist Justine Murphy explaining that “in terms of getting involved, you can do as little or as much as you like.” Future campaign projects include the annual March for Choice in September, a writing workshop to share abortion stories and a major expansion of lobbying organisation.
The Marriage Equality Referendum contributed to a sense of optimism and Lisa Hallgarten of British group, Voice for Choice, said, “You will win this, but you will always have to be vigilant and keep fighting”. While Irish feminists have to fight for abortion rights, their European colleagues must continue to campaign to protect what they have. This was highlighted by Aoife Cooke, who delivered a talk on the tactics of pro-life groups around Europe. Such groups use shadowy funding structures with pseudo-charitable, legal or medical branding, and aim at “salami slicing” away existing abortion rights through minor regulations, cutbacks and bureaucratic impediments.
