Friday, September 28, 2012

Pro-choice rally expects thousands

Organisers of tomorrow’s March for Choice in Dublin are expecting “thousands” of people from across the State and Northern Ireland to take part.

The march will be the first major mobilisation of pro-choice activists as the issue comes to the fore in coming weeks.

The Government appointed expert group on abortion is due to deliver its report to the Minister for Health next month, setting out options for Government on legislating, or not, in line with the A,B and C cases.

Marchers will be calling for the decriminalisation of abortion and legislation in line with the X case.

People Before Profit TD Joan Collins described as “intolerable” the fact that Ireland was one of the last countries in Europe where abortion remained illegal.

“There have been two referendums in which the majority of the population expressed support for the right to abortion when the life of the woman is at risk," she said.

Independent researcher Pauline Conroy said if abortion was not available to Irish women in Britain and mainland Europe, “back street abortion would reappear in Ireland as it did in the war period 1943 to 1944 when there were travel restrictions between Ireland and the UK”.

The march begins at 2pm at the Spire in O’Connell Street and will move on to Merrion Square.