Lindsay Woods: Today, it will be known if I have the right to bodily autonomy. Today, I will know if my body is mine and mine alone. Today

Today, we all wake up in a very different country from the one we knew yesterday.

Yesterday, our nation voted on whether or not to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Today, it will be known if Irishwomen, once and for all, have the right to better and compassionate healthcare. Today, it will be known if I have the right to bodily autonomy. Today, I will know if my body is mine and mine alone. Today.

To say it has been an exhausting and emotive time for those so invested in securing a move for change, is an understatement. Over the last number of weeks, I have spoken with many, my voice echoing theirs. Below are some of their voices and the reason they voted ‘Yes’. Their voices. Their words.

“For every woman who has felt fear and shame surrounding their pregnancies both wanted and in crisis.”

“Because nobody, church or state, should have any power over what I decide to do with my body.”

“Yes, because I do not want another girl to face a trip alone like I did.”

“I voted ‘Yes’ for the nine women a day who travel.”

“I want my Ireland to be a place that sees me as an equal citizen with no impediment to my basic human rights. I want my Ireland to be one where my boys grow up knowing that we are all treated equally. I’m voting ‘Yes’ because I don’t want to cry anymore tears because of how women are treated here.”

“Because I understand how lucky I am that my high-risk pregnancy due to my health condition, didn’t force me to travel. Because I need to be here for my two girls. I need to speak for them and stand up for our rights as women both now and in the future.”

“I would hope that if there was anything that would put my health at risk or leave my children without a mother, I would be offered a choice. That’s all I’m asking for… a choice.”

“I voted ‘Yes’ because my sister suffered in silence in a hotel room in London. I lived 30 minutes away. She felt she couldn’t tell me because she was so ashamed.”

“Because I believe in choice. I trust women to make the best decision for themselves should they find they have to.”

“I want to protect the future of my students. Students who may find themselves as young adults faced with a crisis pregnancy but because of their socio-economic status and the ongoing cycle of disadvantage, are not in a position to overcome their situation.”

“To alleviate the stigma on those who went before and those that will inevitably go after. To allow our healthcare professionals to provide the appropriate care and treatment to those who request or require it. For compassion. Because I trust women.”

“Because I matter. I am a wife, a mother, I am educated and I am a taxpayer. I refuse to be treated as a second-class citizen. I refuse to let anyone treat my daughter as a second-class citizen.”

“At first, I was voting ‘Yes’ because I thought of all the possible reasons for having a termination and realised how unfair the system is towards women. Now, I am voting ‘Yes’ because I’m sick of talking about those reasons. Nobody should have to explain themselves when it comes to taking control of their body and their life. Nobody should have to teach grown people how to empathise with all of the possible scenarios and to realise that life is a different journey for everyone.”

“Because too many people that I know have found themselves in a crisis position. They have gotten the first flight out in the morning and the last flight back that same day. Those girls will never be the same, they never speak about it. They feel ashamed. Not because they did something wrong. No, ashamed because the country they live in made an incredibly difficult situation a million times worse.”

“For my two daughters and my unborn baby. So, they can grow up in an Ireland that loves and respects women.”

“Because women are equal citizens and it’s high time that simple fact was supported by our justice system.”

“I can say that both of my babies were planned, very much wanted, and created from love. That was my situation but I’m not naive enough to think it’s everyone’s. I want my daughter to have control over her body. To have a choice.”

Their voices. I stood alongside them. I still stand alongside them.

Today, it will be known if I have the right to bodily autonomy. Today, I will know if my body is mine and mine alone. Today