Workers Solidarity Movement

On Saturday July 1st, people who advocate the right to choose will gather at the Spire at 2pm for the counter demonstration to the 'Rally for Life', which is organised by Precious Life / Youth Defence. The first year of the All Ireland Rally of Lies was 2007. This year, the event is in Dublin. In alternate years, it is held in Belfast. Since 2011, Rally for Choice has been a counter presence. For those on Facebook, find the event page here.

To mark the 7th Counter Demo, here are 7 lies from the Rally for ‘Life’ website.

1 - They Don't '#SaveLives#

The website claims that they care about the lives of the person who is pregnant and the foetus equally. The fact is, if we follow the argument to it’s conclusion, the safety of the person who is pregnant will be compromised without their consent. In some horrific cases, we have seen people’s wellbeing and lives sacrificed unnecessarily by the state. We will forever remember Savita Halappanavar and the ‘young girl’ who was suicidal at the thought of having to continue her pregnancy, but instead of giving her access to the healthcare she requested, they tried to detain her under the Mental Health Act 2001.

Also of note is that even in developed countries where childbirth is ‘safe’, 1 in 5,000 to 10,000 die in childbirth (WHO).
 

In contrast, a legal medical abortion has a mortality rate of 1 in 100,000.

2 - They Demonise Us as Pro-Abortion Campaigners

Not one of us is ‘Pro-Abortion’, as if our goal is simply to increase the number of abortions for the hell of it. No one is calling for the ‘murder of unborn babies’. We are Pro-Choice. We want people to have access to choices. To have the autonomy to decide what is right for them, as individuals.

We are Pro-Family, Pro-Children, Pro-Human, Pro-Healthcare, Pro-Rights, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life. Whatever people choose.

3 - A Steady Heartbeat is Not Possible 'at only 21 days' after Conception

While, in some cases, there has been recording of irregular electrical activity in what will eventually become a heart, as early as day 18, in reality the foetal heart does not even have four chambers until week 8. There is not a steady beat until week 20. All that is happening at day 21, is practice heartbeats. Like a microphone being tested before being used at a gig. One, two, one, two...

We also need to ask, why is this important? What does a heartbeat mean? The person carrying the foetus definitely has a heartbeat. And the 8th Amendment doesn't seek to protect that.

4 - They are Trying to Scare People with the Threat of Cancer

The American Cancer Society say: ‘At this time, the scientific evidence does not support the notion that abortion of any kind raises the risk of breast cancer or any other type of cancer.’

We trust them over Rally for Life. But that’s just us.

5 - They Have the Nerve to Suggest they are Providing 'Choices'

In Northern Ireland, in 2015/16, a grand total of 16 abortions happened. 833 people made the lonely trip to UK mainland to access a legal abortion. Around 3500 from the Republic of Ireland made similar journeys . Countless others who couldn't afford to leave, accessed safe but illegal abortion pills from www.womenonweb.org or www.womenhelp.org. Who knows how many were not able to make either of these decisions? Who were forced into parenthood before they were ready? Or who were driven to make dangerous decisions?

This is not choice.

6 - They are Not Protecting Human Rights

Actually, Ireland is breaching the European Convention on Human Rights by not providing free, safe and legal access to abortion.

Of course, a court isn't the true arbiter of human rights. We can plainly see that the abortion ban is a violation of our bodies and attack on our freedom, and have been able to see that before any court made its ruling in our favour.
 

7 - They are Attacking a Strawman

By intentionally misrepresenting our message, by saying that we want a world where people can abort for specific reasons, they are derailing the issue at hand. We don’t want a good abortion vs. bad abortion debate. Under no circumstances should anyone have to prove their right to a termination.

A disabled person has every right to be valued.

This reminds us of the Youth Defence member who walked around O'Connell Bridge during the Strike4Repeal carrying a sign reading 'Abortions for Terminally Ill Babies' in a bizarre attempt to discredit the pro-choice movement.

The only way to right these wrongs is to have free, safe, and easily accessibly legal abortion, for anyone who doesn't want to be pregnant anymore.

That's the truth.

We hope to see you at the Rally for Choice on Saturday, 2pm, by the Spire. Let's show that we won't sit idly by while bigots bankrolled from the USA campaign in our streets to oppress us.

*Alliance for Choice in the North, Citizens’ Assembly in the South

Other sources:

www.womenonweb.org

www.womenhelp.org

www.abortionrightscampaign.ie

World Health Organisation

Amnesty International

American Cancer Society