Labour leading in the fight to Repeal the 8th – Labour Women
Leading up to the March for Choice taking place in Dublin tomorrow Labour Women has warmly welcomed the announcement that Cllr Jane Horgan Jones is to Chair the Labour Campaign Committee to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
Speaking on the matter Chair of Labour Women Sinead Ahern commented: “I’m delighted by the appointment of Cllr Horgan Jones as Chair of this committee. Jane has always been very passionate on this issue and having previously served on the Labour Party Expert Commission on the 8th Amendment with her, I know she is more than capable to lead the fight on this.
“I am also looking forward to contributing to this committee myself as a member which will also include Labour’s representative on the 8th committee Jan O’Sullivan, T.D. and Senator Ivana Bacik. The objective of Repeal is central to, and indivisible from Labour’s goal of creating a decent, fair and equal Ireland. We are a movement founded on the values of solidarity and justice and as such are we are fully committed to campaigning to remove the 8th from our constitution. I am proud that we were the only party to oppose the inclusion of the 8th amendment in 1983 and I am sure that we will continue to lead the way as a referendum approaches.
“This upcoming referendum is vital for the lives and health of every woman in Ireland. We have seen too many legal battles faced by women in the most difficult of circumstances because the 8th Amendment is unclear and unsafe. We have highlighted too many examples of how this law disproportionately affects women who cannot travel because of money, visas or ill health. As long as the 8th Amendment is in the constitution it will be impossible to have laws around abortion that are compassionate, fair and workable.
“Tomorrow we will be at the March for Choice beginning at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square beginning at 2pm and we urge as many people as possible to join us and make a stand against this amendment which has destroyed so many lives.”