‘We will fight them all the way’: Hundreds protest in Dublin against abortion liberalisation

Hundreds of people turned out for an anti-abortion protest in Dublin city centre on Monday in response to an independent review of Ireland’s abortion laws published in recent days.

More than 1,000 people across all age groups attended the event which took place outside Leinster House on Molesworth Street and was organised by the pro-life campaign.

Those in attendance carried signs which said “abortion betrays women” and “support mothers and babies”.

A report by barrister Marie O’Shea into the effectiveness of Ireland’s abortion laws, in place since January 2019 following the referendum to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, has recommended a number of changes to the legislation as well as operational changes in order to increase the level of abortion services available in communities and hospitals.

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The review recommends that the current three-day wait to access abortion medication should be optional.

Eilís Mulroy, spokesperson for the pro-life campaign, said the report was “outrageous in so many ways” and claimed it was “incredibly biased and one-sided”.

Ms Mulroy said those present were sending a message to Government and politicians that “we are not going anywhere”.

She added that there was every reason to be concerned that the Government would seek to give effect to the recommendations for “no other reason than to placate the very vocal, and very small and never satisfied pro-abortion lobby”.

“We have to work very hard to ensure that this doesn’t happen,” she said.

Ms Mulroy also spoke about the “importance” of having more pro-life TDs in the Dáil which would “ultimately” bring about the kind of change they wanted.

“The pro-life campaign will be playing a very important part in helping to ensure good candidates get elected at election time, candidates who will never shy away of speaking up for life,” she said.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said the Government had tried to persuade people to vote yes during the 2018 referendum and “promised there would be safeguards”.

“Yet, within five years of that referendum, the Government are looking to throw those safeguards in the bin,” he said.

“We will not let them do that, we will fight them all the way.”

The Meath West TD urged those in attendance to “get organised” and to be active in a political or civic organisation “to push back” on the report.

Mr Tóibín also said the report was not “about making care better for mothers, it’s about reducing care for mothers and simply increasing access to abortion”.

Dr Kirsten Fuller, a GP from Co Tipperary, told the crowd that if the recommendations in the review were introduced it would “effectively do away with all freedom of conscience protections and coerce doctors to both facilitate and participate in abortions, in violation of their conscience”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil last week that no decision had been made by the Government on any of the legislative proposals put forward by the review into the State’s abortion laws.

Mr Varadkar also said Fine Gael TDs will have a “free vote” on any changes to the legislation.

“All the Government has decided is to refer the operational aspects to the HSE for implementation and the legislative changes, not proposed by the Government but by the reviewer, to the Oireachtas Committee on Health for further consideration,” he said.

“We have made no decision whatsoever on any of those legislative proposals. It will now sit with the Oireachtas committee. They will have a chance to consider it and make a report back to the Government, and we will consider it then.”