Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My condolences to Ashling Murphy's family and to all who loved her. She certainly lit a fire in mná na hÉireann, from Derry to Cork and from Galway to Leinster House. To her family, Ashling was just their gorgeous young woman. They wished she had just come home. All of this must be very difficult for the family.

The must be a before-and-after Ireland in the aftermath of what has happened. Every woman has experienced degrees of what happened to Ashling and countless other dead women. We all feel it. We are angry at her murder. We are broken-hearted, but we are furious too. However, we will not be dismissed as man-haters. That term is an insult, and it is a cop-out. We carried ye, we gave birth to ye, we nursed ye, fed ye and cared for ye. The only reason ye are alive is because we love ye. Why are you so afraid of us?

I know that one cannot live and breathe the patriarchy without learning how to survive. We have all had to use appeasement to live through dangerous situations. However, to the women who encourage misogyny, hoping to get some kudos, just stop. The truth is that the misogynists loathe you too. In the beginning, we ate the apple and we tempted the man. Then, we wore the wrong clothes, drank too much, walked or ran alone, were out after dark, before dark and after dark again. That we were out at all, really, meant we were asking for it. We are sick to death of taking the blame. Planning our routes home, locking car doors, pretending we are on the phone, wedging keys between our fingers and texting when we are home safe. We do not want mace and we do not self-defence classes. We do not want hollow words from a system that waits for the candles to burn out and then goes back to normal. This is a normal where women are beaten at home and have their money controlled, their clothes are policed and are murdered. This is a normal that is failing our children. It failed our young Kildare girl, Ana Kriégel.

Deputy McDonald has outlined the provisions of our Private Members' Bill. We want accountability, 999 calls to be answered, safe homes, safe streets and refuges when we need them. We want to be valued for what our feminine qualities bring to the table, because we bring what has been missing from this State. We want respect, rights, sovereignty and to take our equal place in the promised Republic. We will accept no less.

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