Readers Blog: Dublin City Councillors welcome 8th committee vote

Sat, 16 Dec, 2017 - 00:01

As a group of Dublin City Councillors, we are acutely aware of how the Eighth Amendment, and Ireland’s restrictive abortion legislation, has impacted on the lives of women across our city.

Its presence in our constitution is a hangover from an era when Catholic moralism trumped women’s rights, health, and autonomy time and time again. We are delighted to see that era finally coming to an end.

We welcome the votes taken by the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment on Wednesday. In particular, it is a seminal moment that a Committee of the

Oireachtas has recommended that women in this country should have the right to choose abortion as they see fit, up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is a major step forward.

As a council, we voted some months ago to call on the Dáil to introduce a referendum for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. We welcome the fact that that date has moved a step closer.

We would also like to congratulate campaigners across the city that we represent, who have filled Dublin’s cities time and time and time again with colour, youth, vibrancy and anger, calling for and campaigning for abortion rights for the women of Ireland.

It is the women and men of Dublin whose hard work, for decades, made this happen.

Cllr Tina MacVeigh, People Before Profit Alliance;

Cllr Hazel de Nortúin, People Before Profit Alliance; 

Cllr Éilis Ryan, The Workers’ Party; 

Cllr Claire Byrne, GreenParty; 

Cllr Michael O’Brien, Solidarity; 

Cllr John Lyons, People Before Profit Alliance; 

Cllr Mary Freehill, Labour Party; 

Cllr Jane Horgan-Jones, Labour Party; 

Cllr Mannix Flynn, Independent; 

Cllr Paul Hand, Independent; 

Cllr Sonya Stapleton, Independent; 