Postitive response to Yes vote in Drogheda
CAMPAIGNERS BELIEVE IRELAND CAN DO A LOT BETTER FOR ALL ITS WOMEN
WITH the referendum on repealing the eighth amendment just weeks away, both camps have begun campaigns in earnest, with launches, canvassing and open meetings taking place in various locations in Drogheda.
The official launch of the Drogheda branch of Together for Yes, the national civil society campaign to repeal the eighth amendment, took place on Saturday April 14th, with an array of speakers including the convenor for Drogheda Together for Yes, Stephanie Lord and the national Together for Yes canvas co-ordinator Annie Hoey.
In the weeks that followed, mass canvassing has been taking place where the Drogheda Together for Yes team knocked over 2,000 doors on the both sides of the River Boyne.
“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from people in the street and on the doorsteps,” says Drogheda woman Stephanie, who has been campaigning for Pro-Choice since 2007.
“We are looking to knock on every door over the coming weeks and give as much information as possible before the vote takes place on May 25th.”
Stephanie feels Irish society can do a lot better for its women and showing compassion in certain circumstances is the most important part of this vote.
“Voting Yes will remove the harmful 8th amendment from the Constitution and allow us to create a caring and compassionate environment for women in Ireland in crisis pregnancy situations who need our support, “she tells the Drogheda Independent.
“Restrictive abortion laws like the eighth amendment punish women, many times in tragic circumstances, and remove the ability to provide vital healthcare to them. The only way we can change this and improve our care of women in pregnancy is with a yes vote to repeal the 8th amendment.”
Stephanie says one of their great concerns in the run up the vote is misinformation being thrown into the canvassing.
“If people are being misinformed about medical issues, it can create confusion,” she says.
“People can have their own views, but a decision as important as this must be based on fact. This is fundamentally a healthcare and human rights issue.”