Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I wish to speak briefly about the referendum and the huge majority of the Irish people who made a momentous decision on Friday to trust one another and trust women.Ireland also took a great step towards restoring the trust of women in our State. Women now trust more that they will be safe, that they will be equal and that they will be heard. It is for us as legislators to reflect that trust by ensuring we act in the most timely manner possible in implementing the legislation and giving it effect.

As well as trust, something that has emerged from the campaign is that we can talk to each other, and that it is okay to talk to each other about this. As well as the generations of brilliant feminist activists such as Ailbhe Smyth, young activists and movements such as the Abortion Rights Campaign and others took to the streets in this campaign. As somebody who first marched for repeal as a teenager in 1992, I am very glad these young women and men have not had to wait as long for change. There is also the wonderful political leadership given on this issue by people such as Senator Ivana Bacik and Deputy Clare Daly, which is rightly recognised, and by many before them. One of the key credits that must be given is to those individual women who came forward and shared the realities of their lives and their lived experiences, often talking about very difficult decisions and difficult parts of their lives. There are those who have done this publicly, but I know many have done it privately.

The result and what has happened over this referendum are important not just for the society but for families, because in some families people have spoken to each other for the first time about what they have experienced and the difficulties they have faced. There will be great healing in that. There will also be counselling and support needed for some, who have put great personal effort and energy into this campaign. It is notable that those personal conversations by canvassers or within families proved to be more impactful than the often negative and toxic discussions that took place in the online space, and this is an area that needs regulation. I absolutely support Senator Boyhan on the need for an electoral commission.

The great thing about breaking the silence that existed in the shadow of the eighth amendment is that we can now have a real conversation about supports. The decision was decisive but it need not be divisive, and there is an opportunity for all in the House now to engage in the real work of support for lone parents and for fixing our broken adoption system, supports and rights for those with a disability, support for addressing the legacies of inequality in our pension system and experienced by those in the Magdalen laundries. This is collective work in which I hope all of us will be able to engage to ensure the women of Ireland are supported fully and given all of the best options with all of the best supports. There is also a work of solidarity ahead of us with women in Northern Ireland who still face great difficulties and with women whose rights are being endangered across the world. I hope Ireland can be a beacon of support for them also.