Repeal the 8th

[SnowWhitesRestingBitchFace]

So DH and I are currently visiting my DF and DStepM in Southern Ireland (where I grew up).

Just answered the door to a couple who are looking for support in the referendum and wanted us to pledge that we would vote no.

No for context I am just 6 weeks away from giving birth to DC3 (so clearly very heavily pregnant) and they still had the audacity to argue with me when I said I didn't agree with them and I supported any woman's right to decide what happens to her body.

They started trying to show me pictures of 10 week old babies in the womb (not necessary obviously in the circumstances) and weren't pleased that I didn't agree with them given that I'm carrying a baby myself.

I'm sorry I don't really have an actual AIBU I just wanted to rant a bit and show support for the people who have to face this absolute shit every day until the referendum. We're going home to the UK on Thursday so I won't have it all thrown in my face anymore but I just think the guilt tripping is horrendous 😞

I'm in Dublin 9, waves to south siders

A friend keeps sharing graphic pro life posts, half the content isn’t even true. I tried pointing out how heartbreaking it is, that 1/4 of friends on his list would of had a miscarriage and do they need graphic images. Apparently he is helping stop a genocide as we have a genocide in the uk. Also the people who terminate late pregnancies with much loved but severely disabled babies are committing murder, the baby is induced then left to die in a kidney dish and refused any comfort

Regardless of the nature of the campaign, the fact that in Ireland people are allowed a vote on such issues should be celebrated. The vote on same sex marriage was another example.

Waves back

What way does it look like the vote will go?

the fact that in Ireland people are allowed a vote on such issues should be celebrated. The vote on same sex marriage was another example.

I'm not so sure. The result of the marriage ref was great but it seems crazy that it couldn't just be passed into law as it was in the UK. Gay people had to cross their fingers and hope the straights of Ireland kindly bestowed on them the right to marry their loved one. The same with repealing the 8th. Who wins? The people who think a woman's body is her business or the zealots who are campaigning on lies and fear.

I have had elderly pro-lifers call to my door. And today I have only seen Vote No posters from Love Both (please go back to the US).

Nothing yet from Vote Yes, only on social media.

I've donated.
crowdfund.togetherforyes.ie

Glad to see the thread get back on track instead of getting derailed.

We need to stick to the issue and keep the conversation going. I haven't seen any posters for the yes only some billboards for the yes. No one has knocked at our door yet.

Delighted to see nearly 500k has been raised on the Together for Yes page. My sisters are Irish but living in the Uk and have donated no problem.

Think the conversation needs to be around how having the 8th in place can effect women in pregnancy by taking away their power to make some vital decisions about their pregnancy and birthing decisions. f

Yes Peanut 2017 👏

Think the conversation needs to be around how having the 8th in place can effect women in pregnancy by taking away their power to make some vital decisions about their pregnancy and birthing decisions

This x a million.

My OH was telling me about a conversation he had a work today with a male colleagues, he was so disappointed that the conversation only relvoled around them, there was no talk about women and women having rights to make decisions.

Personally, as a one-time anti-abortion person, I find that 'If you don't want an abortion, you don't have to one', v patronising- and still do tbh, although I will vote yes. No voters know they won't be forced to have an abortion, they simply don't want it available in their country, believe in life beginning at conception, ( as do I, whether that's from Irish society or a personal thing, I don't know), and they don't want it to happen and are obviously sticking their heads in the sand as it is happening obviously. To them, it's like saying it's ok forvsomeine to do something wrong, as they see it, they can still not do it. It doesn't make an entrenched no voter think at all tbh. For me, the 'Trust Women', and all that that means, is the best tag line.

I kind of believe in life beginning at conception but more passionately I believe that women have the right not to bear 100% of the responsibility for a child. There's nobody gonna pay for childcare and /loss of earnings and all of the other numerous costs of having a child. Oh! a bit of maintenance from a reluctant father?! That wouldn't even cover childcare. I am very passionate about women not being left to cover the cost of maintaining the population.

It's important to remember that you aren't voting against abortion-just against safe abortion.

It's important to remember that you aren't voting against abortion-just against safe abortion

This is the crucial point for me. Its a shame the prolifers care so little about women's physical and mental health.

I'm nearby.

Slight tangent, or boomerang back to the subject of whether or not Ireland is very religious. I don't find Ireland too Catholic anymore and I was very sensitive to Catholicism growing up because I'm not Catholic. Every single time somebody talked about something as though it was a GIVEN that I would understand, I felt embarrassed and kind of secretive of my background.
I went to London in my 20s and returned over a decade later in my 30s. The Ireland I returned to is so different. Nobody asks me if I'm Catholic anymore. I promise you the Ireland I left, I felt I couldn't go anywhere, join anything or make friends or date anybody without being ''sussed'' out quickly. Nobody has asked me if I'm Catholic in ten years. I was haunted by that bloody question in my youth.

True Bertrandrussell. So true.

Do you know nothing about the history of Northern Ireland (and I don't even like saying that)

More than you it seems, since I also know the geography of it!

Can people in Derry vote on the Repeal the 8th Referndum? NO. You know why? Because its in the UK!

Where do we drag these crazy people up from?

Anyhoo, I'm just back from a Together For Yes meeting, great turn out!

Well maybe that’s the right focus Bertrand?

There's also a big banner on a church at the top end of O'Connell st which says pray at 8 for the eighth.

american anti-abortion charities have a lot of cash to throw at this

How come I can't give to the pro-choice side then? Does anyone have a solution for me?

I think repeal need more imagery, I don't know, maybe sunlight coming through clouds to represent coming through a hard time. And put a bit of focus onto families not women, god knows over the last few weeks the ingrained misogyny of so many people has been brought back into focus. The posters saying 'trust women' and 'vote yes for women's health' would have no impact on people who have no empathy for women. Maybe something like 'make each baby born be wanted'.

I think the repeal side needs to tap into similar stories to the 'in her shoes' page.

Just back from my first night out canvassing. Great experience and plenty of positivity on the doorsteps.

It’s going to be very tight though

What were people saying Molly?

Yesterday I saw my first Yes poster (Mayo), before that I'd only seen the 1 in 5 no posters but thankfully none with the graphic imaginary.

Like I said earlier I don't particularly like the whole 'it's just a bunch of cells' way of looking at things and like others said earlier I lean more towards the life begins at conception way of thinking but I passionately believe that at the end of the day any woman should have the freedom and choice to decide what happens to her body. I flew back to the England today but this whole experience has definitely made me more determined to show support in any way that I can to the Yes campaign.