Females must unite in the fight against men who think it is their right to choose for Irish women

THE “bye, bye daddies” of Ireland’s 1995 divorce referendum are rebranded as baby-defending soldiers in a full-page ad entitled “Men Protect Lives”. The former caricature of Irish masculinity was defined by abandonment. Now reprogrammed, their mission is to keep the uteruses of Ireland in line.

In 2017, I taught an undergraduate seminar on contemporary American literature. One section focused on Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. Key themes included traditional American masculinity, particularly the almost mythological figure of the cowboy.

We talked about the tension between the cowboy and the astronaut in American culture; one symbolises the values of the old West and the other, industrial progress. Pixar’s Toy Story’s relationship between Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear is a useful example of this.

It seems Save the Eighth have chosen a toy soldier, GI Joe, as their Irish hero, sending him into a full-page battle against women’s autonomy. When Sheriff Woody’s drawstring is pulled he says phrases, including “You’re my favourite deputy”. What taglines do Save the Eighth expect their military man to exclaim? “Drop and give me 20 babies”? “Enemy uteruses approaching”?

Presumably, Save the Eighth considered what kind of image would best appeal to Irish men. We don’t have cowboys galloping through the West of Ireland. Our current astronaut of note is Dr Norah Patten, the wrong gender for their campaign. Priests would be the wrong choice for this narrative as they belong in the gingerbread houses of any new Irish myths or fairy tales.

It seems the women of Ireland leave Save the Eighth no choice but to unleash a metaphorical army on us. The artist Barbara Kruger was right when she told us our bodies are battlegrounds.

The spoils of war are the contents of our wombs. Martial law trumps maternal autonomy and a woman’s right to choose.

DR DONNA ALEXANDER