At Belfast City Hall, Alliance for Choice have a solidarity rally with the Votes for Repeal march in Dublin. On International Women’s Day 2018 there is a march in Dublin from the Garden of Remembrance to the Dáil in what we hope will be the last march before we repeal the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution. We are rallying in solidarity with the march along with events in Derry, Cork, Galway, and more.

Alliance for Choice Co-Chair Emma Campbell said “We have a long-standing history of campaigning for abortion law reform in solidarity with organisations in the South. We are a sister organisation to the Abortion Right Campaign, and we are a member of the Coalition to Repeal the 8th. This day last year we took part in the sister Strike for Repeal / Strike for Choice actions. While the Belfast rally was happening, on International Women’s Day 2017, activist’s homes and workplaces were being raided for safe but illegal abortion pills. These raids did not find anything, but we witnessed the firm hand of state control.”

Danielle Roberts of Alliance for Choice explained “The 8th amendment severely restricts access to abortion in Ireland, and its reach goes far beyond this impacting maternal healthcare in many circumstances, overriding the right to consent to or refuse treatment. We have similarly restrictive abortion law in NI, with legal abortion only available in very limited circumstances. Unlike in RoI we don’t need a referendum to change our constitution to allow reform, our politicians already have the power - they simply haven’t used it to date. Today we are sending a message of solidarity to the Repeal campaign. We are also urging everyone who is eligible to vote in the upcoming referendum to register so they can vote for repeal.”

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruling in Dublin provided clarity on the legal position of the unborn in the Irish Constitution. This has cleared the way for the Irish Government to officially set a date for the referendum on the Eighth Amendment. The referendum is likely to happen before the end of May, and the question wording is expected to be announced imminently. Alliance for Choice will be supporting the Repeal movement’s efforts however we can.

ENDS - For more information contact - Danielle Roberts 07739259085 / Emma Campbell 07894063965