The truth about the WRC

Yesterday Choice Ireland picketed the WRC on Dorset street - they intend to picket every Saturday (1pm) this month to highlight "the lies, bullying, and manipulation of the WRC.

Choice Ireland says "The WRC is located at number 50 on Upper Dorset Street. The sign above the door reads “WRC” but this rogue agency has many aliases. It was known as “Aadams” from 1995 until 1999 when that incarnation was shut down in the midst of an illegal adoption scandal. It reopened as the “Women's Counselling Network” and was more recently calling itself “Alpha” until a Newstalk exposé led it to change its name once more to the “WRC”. This agency is also known to misleadingly advertise in the yellow pages as “British Alternative Pregnancy Services” and “Choice for Women” in order to give the false impression that they will discuss all the options available to women in crisis pregnancy when they have no intention of doing so."

Related Links:Choice Ireland

Always the bridesmaid...

A bit of rain didn't stop thousands from taking to the streets of Dublin to celebrate what is now a fixture in the Irish calendar and to campaign for Marraige Equality for same sex relationships. This year saw the 25th anniversary and homage was paid to the years of campaigning and how far Irish society has come. However there was a recognition that not all was won and the struggle for full equality still goes on.

Related Links:Dublin Pride Pride 08 on YouTube

At half past two on a crisp, sunny Saturday, over 140 people, of all ages, gathered at St Stephen’s Green front arch – exceeding all expectations – to attend the a Feminist Walking Tour marking International Women's Day.

Organisers with red screen-printed t-shirts (the image showing a high heel shoe and a boot – ready for walking!) mingled with the eager crowd, chatting, handing out information booklets, distributing green and purple suffragette ribbons and stickers to organise people into the two tours. There were activity sheets for the kids (and the big kids) and free lollipops for all!

The tour was organised by Choice Ireland and RAG, who came together to share their expertise and enthusiasm to promote a strong feminist message. “We didn’t want a protest march,” says one tour organiser, “but the walking tour was a fun way to get women out on the streets and celebrating feminism”.

Related Links: Choice Ireland — RAG

"The Right to Choose About Our Own Bodies"

The Republic of Argentina shares many sociohistorical parallels with the Republic of Ireland. Both have been traditionally conservative, christian nations, with the Roman Catholic Church having a privileged position of power in all areas of public life. Even so, due to massive demonstrations and strong activist commitment, coupled with horrifying stories which came to the attention of the press, it became impossible for the government to stay impassive any longer. While abortion hasn't become legal in Argentina, this article will explore its history, the parallels with Ireland, and recent developments which may be opening the way for safe and legal abortion in the South American nation.

A Pro-choice Activist Addresses The Rally

On Saturday 30th of June, 2007, Choice Ireland held a rally at the Central Bank Plaza at 2pm. The theme of the rally was "Fight for a Woman's Right to Choose". In attendance were Senator David Norris as well as Ivana Bacik and a representative from Doctors for Choice, who spoke on their different experiences of the issue of reproductive rights, as well as the status of the campaign in the light of a recent M-R-B-I poll that presented that a majority of people now support legislating for abortion rights in the Republic of Ireland.

It was a busy Saturday noon, and Dublin's hive-like activity carried on as usual. While tourists, emo/goth teens and shoppers walked around, some people were handing out fliers in order to try and get some last-minutes attendants to the rally which was about to begin. Choice Ireland had been slowly gaining notoriety due to their work during the recent D case, in which a young woman was denied the right to travel for an abortion since she was in the care of the Health Service Executive. Moreover, recent polls commissioned by the Irish Family Planning association show a great change in attitudes to abortion in Ireland. Capturing the mood of those polls, Choice Ireland held a brief leafleting event in front of Dail Eireann on June 27th, with a suitcase or backpack for each Irish woman that, statistically, travels daily for an abortion either to the UK or elsewhere in the European Union.

Related Links: Images and Audio From Previous Rally | Alliance for Choice Calls "D" Case A Tragedy | Teenager Seeking Abortion Challenges HSE | Report of Rally In Support of Miss D | Doctors For Choice Advocate Choice | Founding Documents of Choice Ireland | Revolutionary Anarcha-Feminsit Group Hold Meeting On Choice and Class | A UCD Student Reports On Her Experience with Rogue Clinics | European Court Of Human Rights Turns To Restrictive Irish Abortion Law | Report From Rally At Rogue Information Clinic | Choice Ireland