Pro-choice postcard campaign launched

The pro-choice Abortion Rights Campaign has launched “10 days of abortion rights action” which will include a postcard campaign aimed at members of the Oireachtas.

At a press conference in Dublin today, spokeswoman Sinéad Redmond said 30,000 postcards will be sent to TDs and Senators “from people all around the country” to push them to introduce abortion legislation before the summer recess.

The postcards say "Greetings from Ireland, failing to take action on abortion since 1992. Legislate for X".

Ms Redmond said the campaign is to urge the Government "to introduce legislation that we need to protect women's lives so we never see a tragedy like [the death of Savita Halappanavar]."

She said there are 142 days until the Oireachtas breaks for the summer. "That's 142 days when women's lives in this country are at danger."

Rachel Donnelly from the Galway Pro-Choice Campaign called for a more liberal abortion policy than the one currently proposed by Government but admitted "it's probably legally impossible to legislate past the X case".

She called for "a constitutional referendum to remove the Eight Amendment" after the Oireachtas passes legislation for the X case.

The "10 days of abortion rights action" will begin on March 1st and will involve a series of events and demonstrations around the country.