Need to enhance and further the right to choose here and resist any attempt roll back on abortion rights.
Speaking in the Dail at Leaders Questions, People before Profit TD Brid Smith asked the Taoiseach to commit to finishing the current review of the Termination of Pregnancy act , saying the Roe V Wade decision showed that campaigners here could not rest on past successes.
The TD said the attack on abortion rights in the US and indeed in Europe and elsewhere showed that the fight for reproductive health care is far from won.
She said “ We know that here, 4 years on since the massive repeal movement, there are huge problems with accessing abortion care; since 2019 over 770 women had to travel to the UK to access abortion care, only 10 % of GPs provide that care, while nine maternity hospitals do not and women face intimidation and blockades when trying to access care basic reproductive health care at some clinics.
We need to see an end to the 12 week limit and the 3 day wait to have abortion fully decriminalised
We have been waiting for the review of the act for too long and Roe V Wade is a wake up call for us all. At the same time its important that we acknowledge that we don’t have to look thousands of miles away in the US to see how destructive attempts to limit the right to choose can be, when in Northern Ireland despite promises women still have no access to abortion services.”
We have also been promised legislation on safe access zones and sex education and we are still waiting, Roe V Wade shows that if he don’t move forward on womens rights we will face a pushback from reactionary forces here and globally”