Political Context
People Before Profit supports a woman’s right to choose. Bodily autonomy is essential for women’s liberation, making the struggle for abortion rights extremely important in Ireland today. This struggle has been ongoing for well over 30 years. Members of PBP fought the conservatives in the 1980’s and we continue to oppose them today. This means building a radical campaign for abortion rights on both sides of the Irish border.
Thankfully, people power is having an effect. The tragic death of Savita Halappanavar in October 2012 brought thousands of protestors onto the streets. This was the catalyst for Ireland revisiting its archaic abortion laws and the eventual concession of a referendum on the 8th Amendment. Popular pressure against the Church’s ownership of St Vincent’s National Maternity hospital in 2017 is another example of people power pushing back conservative Ireland.
But we can’t trust conservative law makers. In March 2017, People Before Profit presented a private members’ bill in the Dail to amend the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act (2013). Our aim was to remove the 14-year prison sentence from the bill to end the disgraceful criminalisation of women that this entails. Unfortunately, this bill was voted down by most of the other political parties, proving the need for mass mobilisation and grassroots participation in the struggle for abortion rights.