Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone in the Gallery. I observe the absolutely disgraceful non-attendance of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. There are literally six people from the two parties, which is an absolute disgrace. No wonder people do not have confidence in the Chamber.

Ireland has come a long way since 1983. That journey of 33 years has led to a sea change in the fight for women's right to choose. There has also been the arduous journey which tens of thousands of women have taken from this State to access abortion services. This journey is one of the hardest journeys any woman can make in having to deal with a crisis pregnancy, sometimes alone, sometimes with their partners, families and friends. This journey will continue as long as we hide from the reality that 3,450 women and girls travel to Britain each year to have an abortion. The financial hardship this imposes makes an extremely difficult situation even more difficult for women who have to travel to Britain to end their pregnancy.

Many people like myself, and I am sure countless others in the country, have been on another journey, in getting to the position that ultimately it is a woman's right to choose. Today's generation of young women will not tolerate the Government's inaction and complete ambiguity on repealing the eighth amendment. Last year's marriage equality referendum showed this is not the Ireland of 1983 but the Ireland of 2016. The Catholic Church's moral grip on all of our lives should be a thing of the past and not a thing of the future. It is not a case of if but when there is a referendum. It will not be because of a citizens' assembly or the ineptitude of the Government, but the people demanding one. A sorry shame litters our history with regard to women's rights. There are women behind the anonymous letters in the X case, the Y case and the C case who went through absolute torture. The journey has never ended and it will not end. Give women the right to choose. Give the citizens of the country the right to a referendum.

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