Never again let shame be used as a weapon

It’s a bit embarrassing, really, when you think about it. Usually when Amnesty International get involved, the human rights violations are in places we dismiss as far, far away. Poor, troubled, undeveloped places, or countries in the grip of some megalomaniac tyrant. Places you wouldn’t want to go on your holiday.

But now Amnesty International are not just on our doorstep, but inside our house, and suggesting we need some serious deep cleaning to get rid of the harmful and dangerous laws that affect Irish women. That we are violating the human rights of half of our citizens, and have been doing so for a very long time.

We have long known that our abortion law endangers the health, well-being and lives of women, failing as it does to differentiate between the life of an adult woman and the existence of an embryo.