Opinion

Jim Gibney: For the women of Ireland

Anti-abortion protesters march through Dublin to campaign for the Eighth Amendment of the constitution to be retained in this summer's referendum. Picture by Caroline Quinn/PA
Anti-abortion protesters march through Dublin to campaign for the Eighth Amendment of the constitution to be retained in this summer's referendum. Picture by Caroline Quinn/PA Anti-abortion protesters march through Dublin to campaign for the Eighth Amendment of the constitution to be retained in this summer's referendum. Picture by Caroline Quinn/PA

For the women of Ireland this year’s International Women’s Day, last Thursday March 8, had a particular significance, over and above the normal celebration and recognition of women’s place in Irish society.

On that day the Irish government announced that it would hold a referendum, most likely in May, to remove Article Eight from the Irish constitution.

The Eighth Amendment recognises the equal right to life of the mother and the unborn. It was inserted into the constitution in 1983 after a campaign by those concerned about the liberalisation of society over issues such as divorce, contraception and abortion. It is viewed as a clause seeking to exercise state control over women’s rights.

The Eighth Amendment is also viewed by many as endangering the life and health of pregnant women because it causes serious doubt as to when it is legally permissible to terminate a pregnancy in circumstances where the life and health of a woman is in jeopardy.

Those in favour of the removal of the Eighth Amendment enjoy the support of all the main parties, and many independents, in the Oireachtas.

They are also buoyed up by the result, a few years ago, when the people of the south overwhelmingly voted for marriage equality.

However, it would be a mistake to be complacent or assume that the marriage equality result contains a reservoir of support to remove the amendment.

There is no doubt that many of its supporters will vote to remove the Eighth Amendment but there are additional factors in this referendum that were not there in the marriage equality campaign – namely protecting the life of the unborn.

There were thousands of people on the streets of Dublin at the weekend calling for the amendment to remain. During the marriage equality referendum there was no desire to mobilise people on the streets to oppose it. That is not the case on this issue.

In 1983, 1,265,000 people voted in the referendum with 70 per cent voting in favour of putting the clause into the constitution.

So, the challenge to remove the Eighth Amendment is a daunting one, even though views have liberalised considerably in the south since 1983.

Leo Varadkar, an openly gay man, was elected to lead Fine Gael – a party once viewed as the Catholic Church ‘at prayer’ and is now Taoiseach.

These fundamental changes indicate a society capable of opening its collective mind to removing the Eighth Amendment.

But to be sure it does the campaign will need to be high profile, politician led, in support of civic society, and rational, temperate and respectful of all views on all sides.

Also, on International Women’s Day the Irish airwaves were buzzing with the news that former Irish President Mary McAleese had described the Catholic Church as an “empire of misogyny” in a speech to mark International Women’s Day at a ‘Voices of Faith’ conference in Rome.

Ms McAleese, a fervent Church supporter, criticised the Church for its failure to give a greater say to women in the governance of the Church.

She also said: “Our voices stir the winds of change, so we must speak out”.

Some of those elected voices which ‘stir the winds’ were captured in a painting of 53 female TDs and Seanadoirí which was unveiled by the Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil also on International Women’s Day.

Countess Markievicz, the first woman to be elected to a parliament, also featured in the painting, which was commissioned as part of the ‘Votail100’ campaign to mark the 100 years of women’s suffrage.

Markievicz’s presence in the painting makes a direct connection, not only to the suffragette movement of one hundred years ago but also the republican movement, the 1916 Rising, the war for independence and the Civil War.

A period in Irish history when women led the struggle for national and women’s independence.

In all walks of life today women are to be found, visibly and invisibly.

They lead parties like Sinn Féin, the DUP, the Alliance Party and are vocal and visible in all the other parties, trade unions, business organisations and civic and voluntary groups.

But their profile and presence are not entrenched in law as it should be.

And that is the battle that needs to be won to ensure the progress made is irreversible.