Ireland’s Abortion Referendum Is Proving Deeply Divisive

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canada goose outlet locations in toronto But despite the grins, they say campaigning has not been a wholly pleasant experience. “It’s been very canada goose emotionally taxing,” says Sinad Clarke, 22. “People come up Canada Goose Parka to you and say they hope you die.” They have also cursed and called her “slut,” and one tore up a poster. canada goose outlet locations in toronto

canada goose outlet phone number The debate over whether Ireland should change its abortion laws, currently some of the strictest in Europe, has played out with bitter intensity on the streets of Dublin, in ferocious television debates, controversial online ads, via church pulpits and difficult family discussions. canada goose outlet phone number

canada goose outlet trillium parka black More than 3 million people registered to vote in Friday’s referendum, according to the Irish Examiner newspaper. If a majority of them choose yes, that would repeal a constitutional amendment recognizing the “right to life of the unborn.” The government would then introduce a bill on abortion that would be debated in parliament. Health Minister Simon Harris told The Irish Times canada goose clearance he would hope buy canada goose jacket to be able to pass such a bill into law by the end of the year. canada goose outlet trillium parka black

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canada goose outlet paypal Since the canada goose clearance sale 1990s, historically socially conservative Ireland has changed. The country has legalized easier access to contraception, divorce, homosexuality and same sex marriage. “I’m part of this progressive generation, a lecturer in university and I’m surrounded by university students every day.” Yet he is campaigning canada goose uk outlet to keep Canada Goose Coats On Sale abortion laws as they are with the procedure available only in cases when a woman’s life is in danger. canada goose outlet paypal

canada goose uk site “Human rights extend to everybody, not just the strong,” he says. “The most weak and the most voiceless are the babies in the womb.” canada goose uk site

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canada goose shop uk Thousands of Irish women travel abroad to have abortions, or take illegal abortion inducing drugs, each year. canada goose shop uk

canada goose outlet store toronto “We’ve all known women who felt that they’ve no other options,” Martin says. “We’ve canada goose factory sale all known women who’ve felt vulnerable and lonely.” canada goose outlet store toronto

canada goose outlet in uk But canada goose coats on sale for all the emphasis on compassion, the “no” campaign’s opponents say they are tainted by association with the body that has been most insistent on keeping abortion illegal, the Roman Catholic Church. canada goose outlet in uk

canada goose kensington parka uk “The treatment of women outside marriage in Ireland over decades was really brutal,” says Ursula Barry, a sociology professor at Canada Goose sale University College Dublin. canada goose kensington parka uk

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canada goose outlet factory “So there’s all that background,” says Barry, “when you’re looking to disentangle the discussion and debate around abortion in Ireland. There’s all that history of fear and stigma and shame and marginalization.” canada goose outlet factory

canada goose outlet in new york Investigations canada goose uk black friday into the forced clothes washing factories, called the Magdalene Laundries, and other abuses perpetrated by Catholic clergy, including child abuse, have eroded the credibility canada goose coats of and support for the canadian goose jacket church in this largely Canada Goose Outlet Catholic country. canada goose outlet in new york

canada goose outlet sale That shift Canada Goose online means the canada goose uk shop atmosphere now is very different from the one in which cheap Canada canada goose homme black friday Goose the eighth amendment to the constitution was implemented, also after a public referendum. canada goose outlet sale

canada goose outlet london uk Abortion in Ireland was already illegal long before the amendment, but America’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, which made abortion available in the United States, raised concerns among Catholic groups. Seeking to avoid similar legislation in Ireland, campaigners pressed for a constitutional amendment to firm up the country’s legal provisions against abortion. canada goose outlet london uk

canada goose parka outlet “And they said that they voted for the eighth amendment, which I kind of guessed, I suppose,” she says. “My dad canada goose black friday sale was a religion teacher for 40 years; my mum canada goose store grew up in East Galway.” Especially in rural areas, the Catholic Church’s stance was everyone’s stance. canada goose parka outlet

canada goose outlet new york city But Mullally, 34, says that over her lifetime, she Canada Goose Online has seen the influence of the church wane dramatically, including over her parents. canada goose outlet new york city

canada goose outlet uk fake “What’s been emotional for me actually is my parents are voting for repeal. And my mum is canvassing,” she says. “And seeing them really address what they were told and challenging that as pensioners has been very powerful.” canada goose outlet uk fake.