Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

When the Taoiseach is thanking the parties that support the referendum he might mention parties like Solidarity-People Before Profit and others in this Dáil that brought repeal Bills here, whose members have not voted down repeal Bills and whose members are not out campaigning against repeal.

In 48 hours, people will have begun voting in the referendum on the eighth amendment. Will he agree with me that this is one of the most important votes in decades in this country? It is obviously about abortion but it also about the status of women and the type of society we want. In the past two months, we have got a glimpse of what the "No" campaign think of women. They are spreading lies and half truths and whipping up fear. In fact, spreading out and out misogyny is their stock-in-trade. They meet each morning in the "No" campaign headquarters, rub their chins and wonder if there is anything to be said to put on another misogynistic poster. How about one suggesting that women will flock to have abortions once it is made legal? How about another suggesting that women will go through a physically painful procedure as their regular form of contraception? Even though we know late abortions happen in rare and tragic circumstances, let us suggest that women will hang on for six months of pregnancy, which is obviously a cakewalk, then suddenly decide they want an abortion on demand.

The message behind these type of posters is thinly veiled misogyny. Instead of acknowledging that women are intelligent and equal beings who are highly responsible, as well as being the nurturers and carers of children, sick people and old people, they want to demonise women and present us as a threat.

Does the Taoiseach agree that the question needs to be posed to voters about the type of Ireland they want? Do they want one advocated by the "Yes" side where women are listened to and not silenced and forced abroad or should the nation be reminded of what a "No" vote would mean? As well as saying "No" to the right of a woman to have a choice, the leaders of the "No" campaign have said "No" to contraception. They have said "No" to sex education. They said "No" to same-sex marriage three years ago. They have said "No" to divorce, to equal employment, to married women being in the public service, to working mothers, to LGBT+ rights and to gender recognition. I do not have time to go on. Does anyone think that if they somehow snatch a victory against the tide on Friday, they would not seek to impose a ban on the right to travel, a ban on the right to information and to maintain the 14-year jail sentence faced by five people using abortion pills each day?

I am hopeful the "Yes" vote will be delivered by a youth and gender quake on Friday, by the thousands I see campaigning on the ground and by the 120,000 mainly young people who registered to vote, which is twice the marriage equality referendum rate, and by the women and men on the doors who have reflected back their lived experience of the reality of life now.

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