Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to take a moment today to reflect on some of the global issues pertaining to human rights. Only two weeks ago, the situation in Nigeria in respect of corruption and other problems was raised in this House. I express my solidarity with the Nigerian community here and also to the people of Nigeria as they continue their campaign against corruption and for peaceful democracy.

I also want to take some time to think about those living in Poland. I refer to the rolling back of protections regarding access to abortion. It is now well-nigh impossible to access an abortion in Poland. The streets in cities there have been teeming in recent days with protesters and there has been global solidarity. I certainly stand in solidarity with those protesting in Poland for the basic and fundamental right to bodily autonomy and to have access to much-needed healthcare and compassion. Polls in Poland seem to show that people power works. I hope that is the case and I express my solidarity.

I also want to reflect on the LGBT-free zones in Poland. As a member of the LGBT community, it is really upsetting and hurtful to see this level of hatred spreading in other countries.It is very upsetting to see that people who are just living their lives and their truths are being exploited and condemned in this way. There has been much talk in Ireland and across Europe about condemning the LGBT-free zones, but I wish to put this egregious infringement of human rights on the record of the House. I encourage every Member to stand against such things.

With regard to the US, once lauded as the bastion of democracy, I doubt that anybody could not comment on the extraordinary voter suppression and some of the alarming tactics that have been used across the US. We see the potential fallout from that with protests outside count centres. However, it would be remiss of me to cast my eyes across the world and not turn my gaze here. Last week, we had an impassioned discussion about rights and the victims of institutional abuse in Ireland. Our past lingers clearly in the shadows. Ireland has led on gender recognition rights. It introduced the Gender Recognition Act in 2015 with little problem, and people have lived their lives perfectly normally. We achieved both marriage equality and abortion rights by popular vote.

However, we cannot be complacent. There are bad actors in every community. There are some outside the House who are intent on undoing some areas of democracy. There could even be some in the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is no coincidence that the out Members of our Parliament, myself included, receive untold abuse online both from bad actors and from people who wish to silence and suppress us, either because we are living our truth out loud or because, hopefully, we are inspiring other people to live their truth. I encourage other Members of the House to be aware of the hard-won democracy we have and to stand against that in our communities and not allow these bad actors to infiltrate and take over what has been a great deal of hard work in Ireland to achieve the level of democracy and rights we have.