Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The law exists in a state of flux, as do the prevailing social opinions of the people it governs. These two aspects of our shared existence act upon each other. Sometimes, changes in the law affect people's opinion. More often, legislators and the Government wait to see which way the wind is blowing before making a decision. Where this balance fails is when the Government and legislators are beholden not to the prevailing widely held opinions of the public but to the carefully curated and concentrated views of a vocal minority who have been given powerful platforms as lobbyists. This seems to have happened again in this country in perhaps the most cynical manner yet.

To all the women and mothers in Ireland, did you know the Government is about to erase all mention of you from our legislation on maternity leave? The proposition may sound ridiculous - indeed it is - but that is the plan under the deceptively named work life balance Bill. After all, who would be against work-life balance? Hidden among the miscellaneous provisions of the Bill are various amendments to the Maternity Protection Act 1994 regarding both breastfeeding and maternity leave that will remove all mention of the word "woman" and will assert that men can breastfeed too. We are regularly told that words matter, yet when women tell us that the words "mother", "female" and "woman" matter to them, they are dismissed as unkind or exclusionary. The reality is that maternity is undertaken by women and not by men. To replace the word "mother" or "woman" with the word "person" is a retrograde step and strips women of the core part of their identity.

Women have wombs where our children are conceived and nourished during pregnancy. Women have breasts with which we feed our children. These things need to be said without fear of causing offence. Who is insisting we deny there are two sexes and why? Sex is a protected characteristic in our Equal Status Acts, because women experienced discrimination based on their biology. Can we not find a way to be inclusive without erasing women's biology and experience from our legislation? This country spent years coming to terms with its treatment of women who became mothers outside of marriage. It is a journey we are still making and I am sure there are more apologies to the women of Ireland to come. Are we, at the same time as those apologies, going to launch yet another attack on women in the very legislation that was intended to protect them? Perhaps it was thought these changes would not be noticed or that we would not care. Both of these assumptions are wrong. If the Government thinks it can quietly remove us from legislation, rest assured the women of Ireland will not go gentle into that good night.