Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Ireland's greatest revolutionary and socialist James Connolly believed passionately in uniting the country, not by trying to square the circle of green and orange tribal politics or, for that matter, scoring political points off others in the political debate, as we have heard in the last few comments made by Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party. He tried to find the social and economic issues that might practically unite people and advance a radical social and economic agenda that could break down sectarian divisions.

The issue that presents itself very much at the moment in the aftermath of the referendum to repeal the eighth is the demand which is across the communities in the North - Catholic and Protestant, progressive people, young people - demanding the decriminalisation of abortion in the North. The situation persists and has resulted in, for example, the shocking prosecution of a 21 year old young woman for taking an abortion pill when she was reported by her house mates. She had taken that pill because she could not afford to go to Britain for an abortion. It is criminal for her to have an abortion in the North even though it is not in England or Wales. It seems to me that is the thing we should be advancing if we want to unite people across the sectarian divide and North and South. I appeal to the Taoiseach to lobby Prime Minister May directly on this matter and call on her to decriminalise abortion in the North.

I attended a fantastic demonstration in the North on Saturday of the week before last. Bus loads came from Together for Yes down here. We were involved in organising them. Thousands of people were in Belfast - Catholics and Protestants - on the streets saying they want rights for women and they want abortion rights in the North. Why does the Taoiseach not align with them and pressure Prime Minister May to decriminalise abortion in the North? That would be a step towards a united Ireland.

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