Repeal the 8th – Glasgow in the fight for Irish women’s health care [opinion]
BY ELIZA RITCHIE AND HANNAH WESTWATER
ON Friday May 25 our Irish neighbours will have the chance to overturn the Eighth Amendment, making abortion legal.
Abortion in Ireland has been criminalised since 1861 but the Eighth Amendment Act 1983 reinforced this.
“The Act gave equal rights to both the mother and unborn foetus – a jail sentence of 14 years being the possible punishment for women who evade this.”
Ireland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. On a list of those that still criminalise abortion it joins the likes of Afghanistan, Iraq and Vatican City.
As a result, women have to travel across the Irish sea to receive an abortion.
An expensive, often isolating and secretive journey.
Glasgow continues to play a part in Irish women’s struggle to access the procedure.
The stories of women who have made the overseas trip has come to the fore in the build up to the vote, with disbelief that this has not been tackled already at the front of many people’s minds.
One such woman made the trip to Glasgow over 25 years ago after deciding that her and her partner’s situation would not allow for a financially stable home.
44 year-old Claire said: “I was at university, he had a part time job and we were living in rented accommodation.
“We both came from catholic backgrounds but we are atheists. This was something we could not share with family or others.”
Many women have had to make the same trip over the last 25 years. The situation in Ireland has remained the same.
Claire added: “It still amazes me that this is something that still cannot be talked about.
“My family would never understand or accept my decision.”
For many of us looking in from the outside it is hard to understand why it has taken such a long time for the issue to be addressed – but this is to underestimate the complexity of its history in Ireland.
In Scotland abortion was legalised in 1967 and whilst there are still improvements to be made to the system it is accessible, free and most importantly widely available throughout the country.
Claire travelled to Scotland to have the procedure.
She said: “The staff were so lovely and kind and made me feel secure with my decision.
“I elected to be knocked out as I didn’t want to be awake through the abortion.
“It was over relatively quickly and I was returned to the ward, where I was kept overnight and my partner was able to spend time with me.”
The current referendum has highlighted the divide between both sides. Many cannot come to terms with the possibility of abortions being made available in Ireland.
This attitude has garnered support from countries all over the world. This includes groups of American activists. Members of Colorado based ‘Let them Live’ have even travelled to Ireland to picket the streets in support of the Eighth Amendment.
Despite this support the Together for Yes campaign has received overwhelming support from Ireland’s closest neighbours, including Scotland.
Several anti-abortion activist groups were contacted for this story but did not respond to requests for comment.
