‘A blanket of darkness has been lifted off our country’

SLIGO Together For Yes has said the referendum result was an emphatic victory for the rights and health of women in Ireland.

“The 8th amendment never served its purpose, it never kept abortion out of Ireland.

“It only exiled our women to the UK at a time when they needed our support and care the most.

“Now a blanket of darkness has been lifted off our country, and we have moved into a brighter future, one where we support women, and allow them to make their own decisions in relation to their own private healthcare,” said spokesperson Lorri Kelly.

Ms Kelly who is also co-convenor for Sligo Abortion Rights Campaign said: “This has been a remarkable journey, and we couldn’t have done it without the continued support of the amazing people of Sligo.

“This has been reflected immensely in the results today. We had an incredible team here at Sligo Together for Yes that worked endlessly to get the YES vote over the line.

“Our volunteers gave their time and dedication so selflessly, doing stalls, fundraising, canvassing, etc. A huge amount of work was put in to making Ireland a safer place for women and girls going forward.”

“It is because of the people who voted YES that Ireland is now a caring and compassionate country where we can offer women comprehensive healthcare, without stigma and judgement.

“We have given a very strong message that we support the women of this country in their personal choices.

“We remember the thousands of women and couples who travelled and the women who have suffered at the hands of the 8th amendment, the bravery of the women and couples who shared their stories, and the many cases that were in the media over the years.

“However, women will still have to continue to travel until the legislation comes in, which we will continue to campaign for.

“We hope our local and national TD’s who did not support the Yes vote will respect the will of the people and enact the legislation without delay so we can begin to offer women the healthcare they need and deserve here at home.”

“We did it, for Savita, for Michelle Harte, for Ms Y, Ms P, for all the women and couples and families that Ireland has hurt along the way, for the women we love who needed our Yes, for ourselves.

“Sometimes a personal and private matter needs public support and the public support for the women in Ireland has been astounding. Together, we changed Ireland, and Together we were for Yes!