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 😞

My first vote age 18 was the abortion ref in '92. We all thought all the youth will vote yes but unfortunately so many people are against abortion & can't see past this to allow women to make their own choices

Again on this. There were three referenda in 92 that dealt with abortion. They were based on the right to travel outside the state for an abortion, the right to legally obtain information on how to get an abortion in another country and to say that suicide was not a valid threat to life. The electorate voted Yes, Yes and No. All three were a pro-choice victory. The same is true for the 2002 referendum. Every time we have voted on abortion since 1983 has been a pro-choice victory. We just haven't been given the option to repeal since then.

*Any updates on yes campaign in your area? Posters etc?

There seem alot less posters for either side than in marriage equality ref.*

I'm in Cork and there's not been loads of posters around (especially outside the city) There are definitely more No posters though but still very little compared to elections and the Gay marriage referendum

I'm in Roscommon. Haven't seen any yes posters but I have seen one no. Not in the town so don't know if there are any there.

I'm in County Cork. So far, all NO posters in my town. Don't recall seeing any YES posters yet either here or in Cork City.

I've just started seeing Yes posters in DLR/R. Not much impact compared to all the emotional blackmail of the No posters.

City centre Dublin definitely has a balance now, although interestingly most of the Yes posters I see are Labour Party posters rather than the Yes campaign themselves.

Saw one labour yes poster today. Listening to the Matt cooper show on radio earlier and they were discussing the priests or bishops (can't remember) who are preaching from the pulpits that we are on a slippery slope with this and next will be euthanasia!!! What the actual fuck has this got to do with this referendum? Total scare mongering tactics amongst the older generation.

Also elimination of people with disabilities. None from the church would come on to speak. One woman from Love Them Both who basically said that based on statistics from the Uk, Iceland etc that very few / nearly no babies are born with disabilities and we will be the same. Even when Matt Cooper challenged her on this to say what proof do you have of this - she couldn't properly answer.

So angry about this - no reasonable debate

I’m in rural Cork, I’ve had 2 lots of “Love Both” —propaganda— literature in the post. 0 material from the Yes side.

I work in a biggish town and have only seen No posters there.

Most of my friends and colleagues here in Cork will vote Yes. A lot of friends and acquaintances from my youth and college days in South County Dublin will vote No.

Ugh, strikeout fail

whosafraid the Catholic Church have firmly pinned their colours to the mast on this issue, I expect nothing less from them. I find it more horrifying personally that as a card carrying atheist I have to baptise my children to get them into local schools because they are all Catholic and over subscribed but given that complete abuse of power nothing they do surprises me.

I'm starting to see a couple of yes posters here in the west. It was only a week ago they opened up their crowdfunding so I presume we will see a lot more of them around.

The No posters are too graphic and most people know the facts on them to be wrong so it could sway quite a few to the other side. And by hijacking a holy communion and forcing parents to answer questions from a pro-life slant from kids listening in mass or from seeing posters they will piss off a hell of a lot more parents hopefully to the point of voting yes.

I haven't had time to read the thread in full, but living in an Irish town I'm fearful that this won't go through. Others have explained already how indoctrinated people are here, from the moment they start school. Remember too that the vast majority of schools are run by the Catholic Church, even if as adults people have left religion behind they will still have this notion ingrained in them that abortion is an evil act. It's a tough one to overcome and I'm really not sure if people will vote yes.

Where I live we have a ban on posters (although the NO camp have still erected a few ) and so far nothing's come through the door and no canvassers have knocked. I work in a different town where there's lots of posters going up and lots of them say "1 in 5 babies in the UK are aborted. Don't bring this to Ireland" I don't know where they are getting these "statistics" from but I do worry about so much mis-information being bandied about.

Disability Group Inclusion Ireland is backing the Yes campaign

www.newstalk.com/Disability-organisation-Inclusion-Ireland-joins-Together-For-Yes-campaign-

"1 in 5 babies in the UK are aborted. Don't bring this to Ireland"

And apparently, they didn't use the figures for Britain or the UK as a whole as that would have brought the stats down quite a bit. This is living evidence of the phrase "there are lies, damned lies and statistics".

@whosafraidofabigduckfart If you don't agree with the Church using your children as pawns and don't agree with their love both type teachings, why on earth are you sending them into the church to get the holy communion?
Do you realise you are supporting their cause by doing that? You are agreeing to their teachings and signing your children up to the church.
My facebook feed is full of parents like that criticising the church on one hand and supporting Repeal and then talking about where to get the bouncy castle and holy badges and mini bride dresses.
Cognitive dissonance!?
I don't get it!!

m.independent.ie/irish-news/abortion-referendum/its-not-acceptable-referendum-groups-condemn-vandalism-and-theft-of-abortion-posters-36811241.html

So they are outraged that their posters are being vandalized but they fullly justify the graphic nature of their posters.

My facebook feed is full of parents like that criticising the church on one hand and supporting Repeal and then talking about where to get the bouncy castle and holy badges and mini bride dresses.

I couldn't agree more.

My facebook feed is full of parents like that criticising the church on one hand and supporting Repeal and then talking about where to get the bouncy castle and holy badges and mini bride dresses

I don't see the problem. They rightly criticise the church and are for Repeal, and they cultural aspect of holy communions appeals to them, not the religious side. Societies change, and some rules and rituals change as well: very few people who do the communion take it very seriously as a religious ceremony, they treat it as normal cultural event instead.
And while I'd rather it wasn't a thing at all, I see it as a great improvement and not a serious issue.

If you don't agree with the Church using your children as pawns and don't agree with their love both type teachings, why on earth are you sending them into the church to get the holy communion? Do you realise you are supporting their cause by doing that? You are agreeing to their teachings and signing your children up to the church.

Absolutely this. This kind of double think is driving me crazy.

I know that people are doing it for the lovely day out with granny and the bouncy castle, but the price of this day out is astronomical. You don't have grounds to complain when your child is subjected to some of the more noxious catholic teaching. You've signed them up for it.

I also expect that many see this as 'cultural' catholicism rather than the doctrinal kind. Whatever is understood by this phrase, I think a major sacrament of the catholic church is a terrible occasion to appropriate for cultural reasons. Communion is a really big deal for the church, it underlines lots of their core teaching. Signing up for it should be taken a lot more seriously.

That's exactly what the church want people to do - treat it as a cultural thing. That's why they what to hang on to controlling 95% of the schools. Its not a cultural thing, its completely religious. If people don't want to take it seriously, are they doing it as a joke? The joke is on all of us.

Of course the church will push their views on the people attending the mass. Or through the communioned children. They have a captive audience, why wouldn't they? But to attend the mass and send your children to be added to their lists of members and then complain about the love both campaign pushed by the priest is a joke! Its an integral part of being a catholic, you can't pick and choose!
There's no Catholic repeal group, is there?