DOCSLIB.ORG

She Is Not a Criminal

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
She Is Not a Criminal SHE IS NOT A CRIMINAL THE IMPACT OF IRELAND’S ABORTION LAW Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2015 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom © Amnesty International 2015 Index: EUR 29/1597/2015 Original language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo: Stock image: Female patient sitting on a hospital bed. © Corbis amnesty.org CONTENTS 1. Executive summary ................................................................................................... 6 2. Methodology ........................................................................................................... 11 3. In context: Abortion in Ireland .................................................................................. 13 International human rights obligations to address gender stereotypes ...................... 13 3.1 The Irish state and religious institutions enforce harmful gender stereotypes and have institutionalised violence against women and girls ....................................................... 14 3.2 A climate of stigma and intimidation ................................................................... 17 4. Ireland’s legal and policy framework governing abortion .............................................. 19 Criminal offences relating to abortion in Ireland ................................................... 19 4.1 Constitutional framework and the X case .............................................................. 20 4.2 The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act (PLDPA) and accompanying guidance .. 21 4.3 The PLDPA does not protect women and girls ....................................................... 22 Ireland’s burdensome legal requirements contravene human rights standards and World Health Organization guidance on safe abortion services ................................ 25 4.4 The Department of Health’s Guidance Document for health professionals on the implementation of the PLDPA ................................................................................... 27 4.4.1 “Suicidal intent” ......................................................................................... 27 4.4.2 “Early delivery” ........................................................................................... 28 The Human Rights Committee’s Concluding Observations on Ireland (2014) ........... 28 4.5 Health care providers regard the PLDPA and accompanying guidance as retrogressive and dangerous for women ......................................................................................... 29 5. Restricted access to legal, life-saving abortion in Ireland ............................................. 31 5.1 When does risk to health become risk to life? Physical health grounds ..................... 31 International human rights standards on abortion reflect the link between risks to life and health ........................................................................................................ 31 Savita Halappanavar’s case ................................................................................ 32 5.2 Risk to life but not to health: An impossible legal fiction ....................................... 35 5.3 The impact of Savita Halappanavar’s death on women in Ireland ............................ 37 Lupe’s experience ............................................................................................. 38 5.4 A risk to life: The suicide exception ..................................................................... 39 Ms. Y’s case: Denied a lawful abortion ................................................................. 40 6. Impact of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protection for the foetus on the quality of health care pregnant women receive ............................................................................. 44 6.1 The impact of the Eighth Amendment on abortion-related care ............................... 45 6.2 The impact of the Eighth Amendment on non-abortion-related maternal health care . 46 Rebecca H.’s story ............................................................................................ 46 6.2.1 Eighth Amendment denies a pregnant woman dignity in death ......................... 48 Right to life protections do not apply before birth ................................................. 49 7. Criminalization of abortion in cases of fatal and severe foetal impairment ..................... 51 Nicola’s story ................................................................................................... 51 International human rights standards: Abortion on grounds of severe and fatal foetal impairment ...................................................................................................... 52 7.1 The impact of carrying a fatal foetal impairment pregnancy to term ........................ 53 7.2 Forced to travel: Cast out from the Irish health care system after a diagnosis of fatal foetal impairment .................................................................................................... 55 7.2.1 No support upon return ............................................................................... 57 7.2.2 Maternal choices around severe foetal impairment .......................................... 58 Laoise’s mother’s experience ............................................................................. 58 8. Criminalization of abortion in cases of rape ............................................................... 60 8.1 Abortion ban is another layer of trauma for rape survivors ...................................... 60 Asylum-seekers and sexual violence .................................................................... 61 8.2 Limited access to information for rape survivors ................................................... 62 8.3 Travel: Compounding psychological trauma and complicating access to accountability ............................................................................................................................. 63 8.4 Rape as grounds for a lawful abortion .................................................................. 64 Denial of abortion on grounds of rape: Torture and other ill-treatment .................... 64 9. Censorship and silence: Denial of information about abortion ...................................... 66 9.1 The Regulation of Information Act ....................................................................... 66 “Crisis pregnancy counselling” in Ireland ............................................................ 67 9.2 Restrictions on pregnancy counselling services and doctor-patient counselling under the Regulation of Information Act ............................................................................. 67 9.3 Impact of restrictions on women, doctors, and the doctor-patient relationship ......... 69 9.4 Denied critical health information and referrals due to Ireland’s Regulation of Information Act ....................................................................................................... 69 The denial and manipulation of pregnancy-related information violates fundamental human rights .................................................................................................... 72 9.5 Impact on the counsellor-client and doctor-patient relationship .............................. 72 9.5.1 Smear campaigns ....................................................................................... 73 UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders calls for protection of women, pregnancy counsellors and health care providers .................................................. 75 9.6 Restrictions on the provision of information about abortion services abroad to the general public ......................................................................................................... 76 International bodies condemn Ireland’s information restrictions ............................. 76 10. Ireland “exporting” its human rights obligations: Women left to find their own alternatives outside Ireland’s health system ................................................................... 78 10.1 Forced to travel abroad for health care services ................................................... 79 10.1.1 The logistical challenges of travelling abroad ................................................ 80 10.2 Lack of referrals and support from doctors and the impact on access to services .... 81 10.3 Financial barriers to travel
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Centre for Disability Law and Policy Submission to the Citizens
    Centre for Disability Law and Policy National University of Ireland, Galway University Road, Galway, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)91 495888, SMS/Text Phone: +353 (0)87 6660634, Fax: +353 (0)91 495569 Email: [email protected] Centre for Disability Law and Policy Submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Repeal of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution 15 December 2016 About Us The Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP) at NUI Galway was formally established in 2008 and works in pursuit of equal opportunities and social justice for persons with disabilities in Ireland and around the world. Since its establishment, the CDLP has organised and participated in a number of key events regarding disability law reform. The CDLP’s operating philosophy is ‘scholarship in action’ which entails research that addresses the problems that ordinary citizens face and providing practical policy solutions. In the course of our work we have made submissions to national and international bodies advocating for policies and laws that best facilitate the free and full exercise of rights for people with disabilities. Introduction The CDLP welcomes this opportunity to make a submission to the Citizens’ Assembly as it debates an issue of critical importance to people with disabilities in Ireland – the Repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution. This submission covers three main issues – the impact of the existing Constitutional position on abortion on people with disabilities in Ireland who wish to terminate a pregnancy, the need for better information and support to be provided to those who receive a diagnosis of a foetal abnormality in Ireland, and how a new legislative framework which simultaneously respects reproductive choice and does not discriminate against people with disabilities can be developed in Ireland once the Eighth Amendment is repealed.
    [Show full text]
  • “Why Do They Want to Make Me Suffer Again?” the Impact of Abortion Prosecutions in Ecuador
    HUMAN “Why Do They Want to RIGHTS WATCH Make Me Suffer Again?” The Impact of Abortion Prosecutions in Ecuador “Why Do They Want to Make Me Suffer Again?” The Impact of Abortion Prosecutions in Ecuador Copyright © 2021 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-919-3 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org JULY 2021 ISBN: 978-1-62313-919-3 “Why Do They Want to Make Me Suffer Again?” The Impact of Abortion Prosecutions in Ecuador Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 8 To the Presidency ...................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • SWEET SMELL of SUCCESS" Introducing SUSAN HARRISON a Norma-Curtle1gh Productions Picture Released Through United Artists
    CAST AND CREDITS HECHT, HILL and LANCASTER Present BURT LANCASTER and TONY CURTIS In "SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS" Introducing SUSAN HARRISON A Norma-Curtle1gh Productions Picture Released through United Artists J. J. Hunsecker ••••••••••••..••••••• Burt LancaBter Sidney Falco••••••••••··•••·•••·•··· Tony Curtis Susan Hunsecker ····•·••···•••••••••• Susan Harrison Steve Dallas •••••••••••••••••••••••• Marty Milner Frank D'Angelo ••·••••••••••••••••··• Sam Levene Rita •••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Barbara Nichols Sally . Jeff Dc>.nne11 Robard •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Joseph Leon Mary .••...••.•..•.••...••.••••••••.• Edith Atwater Harry Kello ••••••••••••••.•••••••••• Emile Meyer Herbie Temple•·••••••••·•••••••••••• Joe Frisco Otis Elwell •••••••••••.••••••••••••• David White Leo Bartha•••••••••••···•·•········· Lawrence Dobkin Mrs. Bartha • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • Lurene Tuttle Mildred Tam ••••••••••••••••••••••••. Queenie Smith Linda • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Autumn Russell Manny Davis······•····•••······••••• Jay Adler Al Evans • • • . • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • . Lewis Charles Produced by James Hill Directed by Alexander Mackendrick Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman From the Novelette by Ernest Lehman Photography by James Wong Howe, A.s.c. Art Direction by Ed.ward Carrere Music Scored and Conducted by Elmer Bernstein S01 . .;s by Chico Hamilton and Fred Katz Running time: 103 minutee 11/6/ 56 l. Workin~ Script Por TIE S':iEET SNELL OF SUCCZSS FAD;: IN: 1 EXT. INT. GLOBE 1-fE':!SPAPER BUILDING - DUSK - N. Y. A r ow of newspaper delivery trucks is lined up aga1-nst the lo~~ loading bay, waiting for the edition. In the foreground a lai"ge clock establishe~ the time as 8! 10 PM. A rumbling noise war-ns the rr.en to take their positions; a few seconds lat e::'.' t he b~les of newspapers come sliding the spiral chutes on~o t~e mo·..r1n~ belts from which they are manhandled onto the tru~ks. Much !1o1se a:1d s!:.ou t ing.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Irish Spelling
    Understanding Irish Spelling A Handbook for Teachers and Learners Nancy Stenson and Tina Hickey Understanding Irish Spelling A Handbook for Teachers and Learners Nancy Stenson and Tina Hickey i © Stenson and Hickey 2018 ii Acknowledgements The preparation of this publication was supported by a grant from An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, and we wish to express our sincere thanks to COGG, and to Muireann Ní Mhóráin and Pól Ó Cainín in particular. We acknowledge most gratefully the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship scheme for enabling this collaboration through its funding of an Incoming International Fellowship to the first author, and to UCD School of Psychology for hosting her as an incoming fellow and later an as Adjunct Professor. We also thank the Fulbright Foundation for the Fellowship they awarded to Prof. Stenson prior to the Marie Curie fellowship. Most of all, we thank the educators at first, second and third level who shared their experience and expertise with us in the research from which we draw in this publication. We benefitted significantly from input from many sources, not all of whom can be named here. Firstly, we wish to thank most sincerely all of the participants in our qualitative study interviews, who generously shared their time and expertise with us, and those in the schools that welcomed us to their classrooms and facilitated observation and interviews. We also wish to thank the participants at many conferences, seminars and presentations, particularly those in Bangor, Berlin, Brighton, Hamilton and Ottawa, as well as those in several educational institutions in Ireland who offered comments and suggestions.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigrant Women in the Shadow of #Metoo
    University of Baltimore Law Review Volume 49 Issue 1 Article 3 2019 Immigrant Women in the Shadow of #MeToo Nicole Hallett University of Buffalo School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/ublr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Hallett, Nicole (2019) "Immigrant Women in the Shadow of #MeToo," University of Baltimore Law Review: Vol. 49 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/ublr/vol49/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Baltimore Law Review by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE SHADOW OF #METOO Nicole Hallett* I. INTRODUCTION We hear Daniela Contreras’s voice, but we do not see her face in the video in which she recounts being raped by an employer at the age of sixteen.1 In the video, one of four released by a #MeToo advocacy group, Daniela speaks in Spanish about the power dynamic that led her to remain silent about her rape: I couldn’t believe that a man would go after a little girl. That a man would take advantage because he knew I wouldn’t say a word because I couldn’t speak the language. Because he knew I needed the money. Because he felt like he had the power. And that is why I kept quiet.2 Daniela’s story is unusual, not because she is an undocumented immigrant who was victimized
    [Show full text]
  • September 27, 1999
    VOLUME 33 FEATURES The Budweiser Gateway September 27, Football Classic is more than just a game. Find 1999 out all about it inside. ISSUE 964 ..... See page 3 UNIVERSITV OF MISS OURI - S T. LOUIS ounces Touhill Members of Select Committee on Fiscal Practices vote unani1nously to express 'no confidence' in Chancellor BY SUE BRITT Chancellor's office. report cites, for .... ... ... .... .. ..... ................... .. ... ... ...... " ... ... staff editor A culture of secrecy instance, the and closed decision­ endowed-profes­ The Faculty Council Select making has devel­ sors program and Committee on Fiscal Practices cast a oped on the [UM-St the Pelforrning Atts unanimous vote of "no confidence" Louis] campus." Center as new ini­ and issued a report Sept. 15, 1999. The report states Read the text of the tiatives taken on, Handle with care: Nine Differing views on how data from the the administration of Select Committee on "without regard for Inch Nails' new double budget is interpreted have complicated UM-St. Louis has Fiscal Practices' their impact on the album "The Fragile" might the matter. used · the tenn report online! campus', fiscal be one of the best CDs of The report states that the "enrollment short­ health." the decade. Chancellor of UM-St. Louis, Blanche fall" to explain the www.umsl.edU/ The report also Touhill, "violated the planning and reason for realloca­ studentlife/ includes its findings ~ See page 6 governance procedures mandated by tions and that the fig­ current on the effects of the Collected Rules and Regulations ures given for the Touhill's policies of the University of Missouri," has number of student on campus.
    [Show full text]
  • Elvis Costello Began Writing Songs at the Age of Thirteen. 2017 Marked the 40Th Anniversary of the Release of His First Record Album, My Aim Is True
    Elvis Costello began writing songs at the age of thirteen. 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of his first record album, My Aim Is True. He is perhaps best known for the songs, “Alison”, “Pump It Up”, “Everyday I Write The Book” and his rendition of the Nick Lowe song, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding”. His record catalogue of more than thirty albums includes the contrasting pop and rock & roll albums: This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Imperial Bedroom, Blood and Chocolate and King Of America along with an album of country covers, Almost Blue and two collections of orchestrally accompanied piano ballads, Painted From Memory - with Burt Bacharach and North. He has performed worldwide with his bands, The Attractions, His Confederates - which featured two members of Elvis Presley’s “T.C.B” band - and his current group, The Imposters – Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher - as well as solo concerts, most recently his acclaimed solo show, “Detour”. Costello has entered into songwriting collaborations with Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, the Brodsky Quartet and with Allen Toussaint for the album The River In Reverse, the first major label recording project to visit New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and completed there while the city was still under curfew. In 2003, Costello acted as lyrical editor of six songs written with his wife, the jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall for her album, The Girl In The Other Room. He has written lyrics for compositions by Charles Mingus, Billy Strayhorn and Oscar Peterson and musical settings for words by W.B.
    [Show full text]
  • Supplementary Information on Kenya, Scheduled for Review by the Pre
    Re: Supplementary Information on Kenya, Scheduled for Review by the Pre-sessional Working Group of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights during its 56th Session Distinguished Committee Members, This letter is intended to supplement the periodic report submitted by the government of Kenya, which is scheduled to be reviewed during the 56th pre-session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the Committee). The Center for Reproductive Rights (the Center) a global legal advocacy organization with headquarters in New York and, and regional offices in Nairobi, Bogotá, Kathmandu, Geneva, and Washington, D.C., hopes to further the work of the Committee by providing independent information concerning the rights protected under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR),1 and other international and regional human rights instruments which Kenya has ratified.2 The letter provides supplemental information on the following issues of concern regarding the sexual and reproductive rights of Kenyan women and girls: the high rate of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity; the abuse and mistreatment of women that attend maternal health care services; inaccessibility of safe abortion services and post-abortion care; lack of access to comprehensive family planning services and information; and discrimination resulting in gender-based violence and female genital mutilation. I. The Right to Equality and Non-Discrimination It has long been recognized that the obligation to ensure the rights
    [Show full text]
  • Covert Networks a Comparative Study Of
    COVERT NETWORKS A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INTELLIGENCE TECHNIQUES USED BY FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TO WEAPONIZE SOCIAL MEDIA by Sarah Ogar A thesis submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Baltimore, Maryland December 2019 2019 Sarah Ogar All Rights Reserved Abstract From the Bolshevik Revolution to the Brexit Vote, the covert world of intelligence has attempted to influence global events with varying degrees of success. In 2016, one of the most brazen manifestations of Russian intelligence operations was directed against millions of Americans when they voted to elect a new president. Although this was not the first time that Russia attempted to influence an American presidential election, it was undoubtedly the largest attempt in terms of its scope and the most publicized to date. Although much discussion has followed the 2016 election, there have not been much concerted historical analysis which situates the events of 2016 within the global timeline of foreign intelligence collection. This paper argues that the onset of social media has altered intelligence collection in terms of its form, but not in terms of its essence. Using the case study method, this paper illustrates how three different nations apply classical intelligence techniques to the modern environment of social media. This paper examines how China has utilized classical agent recruitment techniques through sites like LinkedIn, how Iran has used classical honey trap techniques through a combination of social media sites, and how Russia has employed the classical tactics of kompromat, forgery, agents of influence and front groups in its modern covert influence campaigns.
    [Show full text]
  • End Smear Campaign Against Bishop Lisboa
    First UA:132/20 Index: AFR 41/2914/2020 Mozambique Date: 26 August 2020 URGENT ACTION END SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST BISHOP LISBOA Bishop Don Luis Fernando Lisboa of Pemba city, in Northern Mozambique, has been the subject of an ongoing smear campaign to undermine and delegitimize his vital human rights work in the province of Cabo Delgado. President Nyusi, and government affiliates, have directly and indirectly singled out Bishop Lisboa in their critique of dissidents. The authorities must ensure a safe and enabling environment for Bishop Lisboa to continue his human rights work without fear of intimidation, harassment and any reprisals. TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi President of the Republic of Mozambique Address: Avenida Julius Nyerere, PABX 2000 Maputo – Mozambique Hounorable President Filipe Nyusi, I am writing to you concerning the ongoing smear campaign against human rights defender (HRD), Bishop Don Luis Fernando Lisboa, of Pemba city. On 14 August, in a press conference you gave in Pemba city, the capital of the Cabo Delgado province, you lamented those ‘foreigners’, who freely choose to live in Mozambique, of using human rights to disrespect the sacrifice of those who keep this young homeland. This statement triggered an onslaught of attacks on social media against Bishop Lisboa and his human rights work, with many users accusing Bishop Lisboa of associating with terrorists and insurgents. Furthermore, on 16 August, Egidio Vaz, a well-known government affiliate referred to Bishop Lisboa on his social media platform as “a criminal [who] should be expelled from Mozambique”.
    [Show full text]
  • Ireland, Abortion Access and the Movement to Remove the Eighth Amendment
    “#Repealthe8th”: Ireland, Abortion Access and the Movement to Remove the Eighth Amendment SINÉAD KENNEDY*1 Abstract Abortion is illegal in almost all circumstances in Ireland, permitted only where there is a risk to the life of the woman due to the eighth amend- ment to the Irish Constitution. While abortion is banned, women living in Ireland do access abortion; they do so legally by travelling abroad, and illegally within Ireland by accessing the abortion pill online. This access is highly mediated by race, class and migration status. This article will consider the politics of Ireland’s abortion ban through the prism of public debates around abortion, reflecting on the discursive devices employed to both chal- lenge and uphold the status quo on abortion. This conclusion will focus on different dimensions of the “Repeal” movement; a movement that pro- pelled Ireland to finally face up to the reality of abortion and change it laws through removing the eighth amendment from the constitution. Keywords: Abortion; Migration; Repeal; Movement; Ireland On Friday 25th May 2018 the Irish electorate voted by two to one majority to remove Article 40.3.3, the prohibition on abortion, from the Irish Con- stitution. While opinion polls had suggested that those who campaigned to remove the ban on abortion would win, it was predicted to be a close result; no one predicted the sheer scale of the victory and the support from every section of society, young and old, urban and rural. In the immediate aftermath of the referendum the result was heralded as nothing short of revolutionary by journalists and activists alike who understood it to be part of a major gender and generational shift in Irish political life.
    [Show full text]
  • Discourse and Power in Ireland's Repeal the 8Th Movement
    Interface: a journal for and about social movements Article Volume 13 (1): 193 – 224 (July 2021) McKimmons and Caffrey, Ireland’s Repeal movement Discourse and power in Ireland’s Repeal the 8th movement Elaine McKimmons and Louise Caffrey Abstract Understanding the success of social movements in terms of their situatedness in the social and historical context is a necessary direction for social movement research. In Ireland, much of the research on reproductive rights activism since the 2018 referendum that legalised abortion has examined distinct aspects of the movement that might be improved going forward. The present study endeavoured to examine the discursive strategies used by the Repeal campaign. Qualitative data, collected from 23 activists from the ‘Repeal the 8th Campaign’ at a critical moment in time - ten months before the referendum - were subjected to critical discourse analysis. Situating the Repeal movement within a theoretical framework, we propose that initial pro-choice activism since 1983 maintained the abeyant movement until the receptive environment re-opened. From 2012 to 2018 pro-choice activists capitalised on the newly receptive environment to remove Article 40.3.3 from the Constitution of Ireland successfully. Findings demonstrate how activists created social change by mainstreaming discursive categories that were not previously culturally dominant, drawing on discourses of feminism, modernity versus traditionalism and approaches of strategic consciousness-raising. Keywords: Feminism, Pro-choice Activism, Repeal the 8th, Intersectionality, Social Movement Lifecycle, Critical Discourse Analysis. Introduction In 1983, the Irish public voted to enact the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution (Article 40.3.3). The Eighth amendment was deemed by Irish law to make abortion illegal in all cases – except where there was a ‘real and substantial risk to the life of the mother’ (Attorney General v.
    [Show full text]