A 50-strong Trinity contingent joined a sizeable crowd outside the Dáil in the bitter cold this evening to watch a historic debate on abortion reform.
Joining pro-choice group Strike 4 Repeal, the students gathered as the Dáil debated the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment.
Before the debate began, the mood was one of excitement, as different groups assembled calling for abortion rights. Music blared from speakers and the occasional chant broke out before dying down quickly again.
With the debate projected on the side of nearby Buswells Hotel, famous as much for its longevity as its popularity as a lunch spot for politicians, people’s attention turned to the debate.
As it went on, an almost reverent hush fell over the crowd, and neither the persistent rain nor occasional chanting pulled its attention from the proceedings ongoing inside the walls of Leinster House.
Rallying the assembled, a media spokesperson for the Strike 4 Repeal campaign, Aoife Frances, said that those gathered did so for “all the women who’ve had to access basic healthcare abroad, and all the women who’ve had to access a medical abortion in Ireland, which is illegal…it’s not good enough. Time is up”.
Those present at the Strike 4 Repeal assembly included groups like Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and ROSA (for Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity). Trinity Strike 4 Repeal, Trinity People Before Profit, as well as TD Bríd Smyth and various regional pro-repeal groups were also in attendance. The Labour Party also offered support.
Trinity’s presence was felt at the assembly. As one of the largest groups there, Trinity’s students gathered behind the same “strike” banner that was hung around campus today. Speaking to The University TimesThe University Times, TCDSU President Kevin Keane said that the evening was the “culmination of a very long process”.
“At this very moment, politicians are debating the future of abortion rights in Ireland and we want to see nothing more than free, safe and legal”, he said.
USI President Michael Kerrigan reiterated the length of the process. Speaking to The University Times, he said that abortion rights were “something that students have been campaigning on for decades”. However, he cautioned that “work is nowhere near finished on what we have to do”.
TCDSU Education Officer Alice MacPherson also spoke to The University Times, saying that “this is not just about a stance for me, it’s incredibly personal. I’m from the UK and I stand tonight with my Irish sisters”.
The meeting outside the Dáil was the culmination of a day that saw Strike 4 Repeal perform several stunts around Trinity’s campus. Early this morning, a banner was draped down the face of Front Arch, with the repeal strike emblazoned on the front. Later in the day, the same banner was hung in the Ussher, while a banner with “strike” written on it was held up on the walkway between Goldsmith and campus. On social media, the group called for students to join them in a sign of solidarity.
Last year, the group shut down O’Connell Bridge when over 3,000 people turned up to support calls for a referendum on the eighth amendment.
The government debate will continue tomorrow, with more information on the timing and shape of the referendum expected in the coming weeks. It is yet to be seen whether the government will follow the Oireachtas recommendations to repeal the eighth amendment or simply seek to amend it.
