Ruth Coppinger: On the Frontline to Repeal the 8th

By Roisin Guyett-Nicholson | Sep 23 2016

Weeks before a Dáil debate to Repeal the 8^th Amendment, Roisin Guyett-Nicholson chats to Ruth Coppinger TD about a possible referendum and what legislation could follow. [br]MANY of you will have seen the recent video released by the Repeal Project last week. Comparing the current law in Ireland to historic attitudes towards witches, it features prominent Irish women such as Róisín Ingle and Una Mullally.The video is a part of a much wider movement to repeal the 8^th amendment to the constitution which recognises “the right to life of the Unborn” but also “the equal right to life of the mother.” The amendment was the result of a referendum in 1983, which was held largely because of pro-life campaigns. Since then there have been two referenda, in 1992, allowing the freedom of travel and the right to information.Speaking to the University Observer, Ruth Coppinger outlined her opposition to the law. She explains that the amendment was introduced “after a campaign by a mainly Catholic lobby and it equates a foetus with a women. The reason that it’s caused so many difficulties, [is] obviously it banned abortion within Ireland but also has endangered women in other ways through pregnancy.”Coppinger references the case of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian dentist living in Ireland who died in October 2012 due to complications of a septic miscarriage. She explains much of the opposition to the amendment as it “isn’t just about abortion it’s also about women’s bodily autonomy.”

“Coppinger advocates the website womenonweb.org, an online service for women seeking abortions in countries where abortion is restricted.”

The legal ambiguities surrounding abortion in Ireland also outlines the problems with enforcing such a ban. As Coppinger explains “we know that 12 women a day used to be cited as the figure for leaving the state, now it seems that there’s about ten going to, say Britain or another country to actually have an abortion and there’s at least three a day that are taking abortion pills that we know of. I think the abortion pill really shows how unworkable the ban is.”Often at the forefront of this debate in the Dáil, in December 2014 Coppinger produced a packet of pills often used in abortions during a house speech. She explains that: “because of austerity and because of poverty, the option of actually going abroad, it’s very expensive. So more and more women are going to be looking online for abortion pills and I’d be concerned that people would contact a reputable agency.”Coppinger advocates the website womenonweb.org, an online service for women seeking abortions in countries where abortion is restricted. The site provides pills that people can take at home for a cost of €90. She explains “because that’s a doctor-led service that I could stand over, that we’ve been in touch with, that you know have a track record, that I’ve looked into. It’s one of the things I’d be highlighting with colleges, is if they’re going to give abortion information, they should mention them because you are right, people can’t trust, otherwise, what they’re getting.”However, for a woman from Ireland applying, the website warns users to provide an address in Northern Ireland, stating that “the Irish Medicines board confiscates packages that contain medicines and are send to Ireland.”Coppinger notes that this is a particular issue, “what happens is, women in the south get them via the north and they have to give an address for them to be sent in the north, with womenonweb because womenonweb don’t want to be sending them and people getting disappointed and not getting them.” She explains that some organisations, such as ROSA, work with people to give them an address in Northern Ireland that the pills can be sent to.

“We would have back street abortions, we would have women dying if we didn’t have Britain in close proximity.”

“But we shouldn’t have to do that. Somebody should be able to go to their own GP and get this prescribed, in a pharmacy and go home and take it. It’s completely safe, it’s used for 80% of abortions in Finland for example, and it’s safer than a surgical abortion.” In order to be prescribed the pills on the site, people must answer a number of questions which cover both their mental state and medical history.Before the 8^th amendment was enacted, abortion was already illegal in the Ireland, due to article 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Even if the repeal movement is successful, there would still need to be a discussion around this legislation. Therefore the aim of the repeal movement is simple: a referendum, as that is the only way to change the constitution.However, Coppinger disagrees with the need for a referendum at all; “to be honest with you my view is we shouldn’t be having a referendum on any of these issues. These are health issues that affect a minority of people and it shouldn’t be up to the majority to prevent them happening.”In 2013, the UCD Students’ Union held a preferendum on which position it should take on abortion, resulting in a mandate to campaign to repeal the 8^th. Yet some argue that a number of students will now be represented by a union that does not hold their views.Despite this, Coppinger asserts that students’ unions will be a vital part of the campaign. “It’s critical, when you think about it. It’s obvious that the students’ unions are going to be and colleges, because that’s where a lot of young people are concentrated. And this is primarily a youth issue.”Referring to the importance of youth groups and organisations, Coppinger notes that the issue of abortion could be the “civil rights issue of this generation.”She further explains that “this is about choice,” presenting the argument that it’s not the decision of everybody in the state but “it should be a women’s decision, whether or not she has an abortion. Ultimately she’s the only person that can decide that.”This is a sentiment often examined in relation to the Dáil. In the same speech in which she presented the abortion pills, Coppinger made the point that it is highly unlikely that anyone in the state does not know someone who has had an abortion. As such there is an element of hypocrisy in a body that upholds a law that it has no desire to enforce.“The idea that politicians in this house haven’t had a sister, partner, a mistress… that hasn’t had an abortion is just beyond belief,” Coppinger explains. “I’ve held up pills in the Dáil, which they’ve never done anything about because they’re glad to brush it under the carpet, you know, Irish style… They’ve no intention of prosecuting anyone because they want a safety-valve to take away their need to actually legislate. We would have back-street abortions, we would have women dying if we didn’t have Britain in close proximity.”Coppinger outlines that the only way to get a significant change is through grassroots campaigns. “There isn’t enough activism on this issue, there needs to be a lot more because… the type of campaigns that actually bring about social change usually come from active campaigns or groups of people on the ground… right now to get a referendum in the first place and to pressure TDs who are behind the curve on this, we really need people contacting their TDs.”It is an issue that currently, many elected officials seem to be uncomfortable to talk about. This is due in part to the upcoming citizens assembly, which is to discuss Ireland’s abortion laws. Organised following a UN ruling which stated that the state’s position on abortion was inhumane, the assembly is to be made up of 100 people.

“…the abortion pill really shows how unworkable the ban is."

However, neither the selection process nor exact dates have been decided. The Government has outlined that after the assembly reports, they’re recommendations will still have to be considered by an Oireachtas committee.This has led some opposition TDs, including Coppinger, to brand the move as a temporary scapegoat not designed to outlast the current government. “They try to say now is you wouldn’t get it past on it’s own, you wouldn’t get repeal of the 8^th amendment… That’s why they’re setting up this citizens assembly, to try and come up with some formulation that they think the middle ground will agree with.”Branding the assembly as a “delaying tactic,” Coppinger asserts that “the real citizens assembly is a referendum, that’s where every citizen gets a say and also the Dáil is what’s elected, only recently.” Instead, she suggests that “what’s needed is huge pressure to be put on these TDs. There’s a number of TDs in Fine Gael who got elected on a pro-choice platform but they, a couple of months ago, voted down a bill on fatal foetal abnormality.”Coppinger goes on to say that “if there was a referendum to repeal the 8^th I think we would get it passed because I think there’s been such a change. But I think that the establishment politicians like Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael in the main are so conservative and so behind.”However, the 8^th amendment is only part of the conversation. Abortion was illegal in 1983 before the introduction of the act, it simply strengthened the legal position. Currently while much of the public tend to favour the broadening of abortion, there are still uncertainties as to which form should be introduced. Even amongst the repeal movement, there is some discussions about what should follow a referendum.Nevertheless, countless cases in recent years have proven that the 8^th amendment is not only unworkable but there seems to be little desire to enforce it. Momentum is growing, not just on campuses but across the country. The upcoming bill to repeal the 8^th will likely be voted down. However, it is clear that something must change and soon. Regardless of the next step, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the question about the 8^th amendment is simply when will it be removed.The upcoming 5^th annual March for Choice takes place this Saturday 24^th September in the city centre. Students are gathering from 12.30pm at Trinity College Dublin.