Press Release & Podcast: Group of organisations to raise common points and reservations regarding Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill

Following the Oireachtas hearings with medical and legal experts on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill, a group of 11 organisations not represented at the hearings come together today at a press conference to demand a range of changes to the proposed legislation. Representatives of the organisations collectively called for the following amendments to the Bill:

1.      Offence

Criminalisation: the proposed legislation replaces the Offences against the Person Act 1861 rather than repealing it.  The government must repeal the relevant sections of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 and decriminalise abortion.  Criminalisation does not work; it causes pain and suffering to women, is incompatible with international human rights norms and according to the ECHR has a chilling effect on women and doctors

2.      Risk of loss of life from self-destruction

There is no medical or clinical justification for the requirement that a panel of doctors authorise an abortion on grounds of risk to life arising from risk of suicide due to an unwanted pregnancy. The requirement of a second psychiatrist does not apply when a pregnancy is not involved. The Mental Health Act 2001 requires only two medical practitioners to authorise the involuntary detention of an individual on mental health grounds, including risk to life by suicide. The proposed legislation requires up to seven practitioners to assess risk to life by suicide due to an unwanted pregnancy and authorise a termination on grounds of such a risk to life.

An arbitrary distinction is being drawn between physical risk to life and risk to life arising from risk of suicide due to an unwanted pregnancy. The current proposal requires unanimity between an obstetrician and two psychiatrists for the approval of abortion, giving the obstetrician – with no competence in suicide assessment power of veto over two consenting psychiatrists.  Consultation with the woman’s GP should only take place with her prior consent.

3.      Conscientious objection

There should be an explicit duty to treat in a medical emergency regardless of any conscientious objection.  Legislative provision must be made to ensure that medical professionals are required to declare anti-choice views, and that they have a duty to absent themself from any panel deciding on abortion.  Any panel should only consist of non-conscientious objectors.  It must be ensured that non-objecting providers are accessible and available throughout the country.

4.      Formal medical review procedures

A two-week review period is unrealistic and could result in serious and potentially fatal repercussions. Best international practice is that a decision is made within 3 days.  Realistic timeframes must be included in the new legislation.

5.       Broaden the scope of the legislation to include fatal foetal abnormalities and pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.

Organisations supporting these changes include:

National Women’s Council of Ireland, Action on X, Abortion Rights Campaign, Doctors for Choice, ICTU Women’s Committee, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Irish Family Planning Association, Irish Feminist Network, Termination for Medical Reasons Group, Cork Women’s Right to Choose Group and Galway Pro Choice Group


What: Press Conference – Common points and reservations on Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill

When: Wednesday, 22nd May, 10:30 am

Where: Buswells Hotel, Molesworth Street, Dublin



Listen to a podcast of the press conference here:

Hi everyone,

From the last discussion, people decided to chat about the idea of female masculinity; gender beyond sex, beyond binary, pleasure beyond principles and what have you.

* Feminine/masculine – why can’t I be both?

* Constructing masculinities in communities and within the individual: .

Some suggestions to chat about: tdrag kings, butch/femme dynamics in relationships, genderqueers, queers, tomboys etc.


Bewleys wasn't as quiet so we're meeting up in Seomra Sproai on the evening14th May from 7pm in the social sinema room (the first room on the ground floor- there'll be donation-based food and treats too :) )

looking forward to seeing a lot of you soon! x

The next book club will be held on Thursday, 2nd of May at 7:30pm in Bewleys cafe. All are welcome!

As chosen by the last book club's attendees, the play of the month is: The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler.

You can find the script online for free, or probably also printed. There's a HBO TV series, or you could go to see the play (let us know if you find an Irish production this month!)

"I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas, and even more worried that we don't think about them. . . . So I decided to talk to women about their vaginas, to do vagina interviews, which became vagina monologues. I talked with over two hundred women. I talked to old women, young women, married women, single women, lesbians, college professors, actors, corporate professionals, sex workers, African American women, Hispanic women, Asian American women, Native American women, Caucasian women, Jewish women. At first women were reluctant to talk. They were a little shy. But once they got going, you couldn't stop them."

Good Reads Vagina Monologues Page

Reviews:

Guardian Review of The Vagina Monologues,

http://knollpaper.wordpress.com/current-issue/gender/vday/

To facilitate discussion, we'll have these ground rules:

-Everyone has the right to contribute to the discussion
-Refrain from personal attacks, criticise the idea and not the person
-Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of age, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief, disability, membership of the travelling community, marital status or family status.

We'll be in the back of Bewleys in the restaurant section. The reservation will be under Irish Feminist Network.

When: Thursday, 4th of April, 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Where: Bewleys Cafe on Grafton Street
The Book: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Facebook Event: IFN April Book Club
How to find us: We'll be downstairs in the restaurant section. Our reservation will be under Irish Feminist Network. We'll have the book displayed upright on the table.


About:

**Trigger warning: This book deals with mental illness and suicide**

Recently, Faber have released a 50th anniversary edition of the book and there's been some controversy about the cover: Guardian article on Bell Jar Cove

And here's some more info:

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under--maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational--as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic. Goodreads Review

Book reviews:

Independent Newspaper Bell Jar Review

This one has major spoilers: Classic Lit Bell Jar Review

There's also a movie from 1979: IMBD Bell Jar Film Page

To facilitate discussion, we'll have these ground rules:

-Everyone has the right to contribute to the discussion
-Refrain from personal attacks, criticise the idea and not the person
-Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of age, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief, disability, membership of the travelling community, marital status or family status.

Happy reading & hope to see you next month!

The next book club will be held on Thursday, 7th of March at 7:30pm in Bewleys cafe. All are welcome!

As chosen by the last book club's attendees and those in the FB group, the book of the month is: Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins.

**If you're planning to come to the book club, it might be wise to locate a copy of the book asap as you may have to order it online http://www.amazon.com/Black-Feminist-Thought-Consciousness-Empowerment/dp/0415964725**

Patricia Hill Collins will also be visiting Ireland in March. You can register to see her speak at UCD. More info here:
http://www.facebook.com/events/321752221268307/?ref=ts&fref=ts

UCD have also provided two free essays on their website, which you can download from here: http://www.ucd.ie/socialjustice/newsevents/body,159635,en.html

And here's some info about the book:

"In spite of the double burden of racial and gender discrimination, African-American women have developed a rich intellectual tradition that is not widely known. In Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins explores the words and ideas of Black feminist intellectuals as well as those African-American women outside academe. She provides an interpretive framework for the work of such prominent Black feminist thinkers as Angela Davis, bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Audre Lorde. The result is a superbly crafted book that provides the first synthetic overview of Black feminist thought"
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/353598.Black_Feminist_Thought

Book reviews:

http://clementinemorrigan.com/2012/01/10/a-reflection-on-patricia-hill-collins-defining-black-feminist-thought/

http://blogs.stlawu.edu/gss290fall2011/2011/09/16/conceptualizing-knowledge-in-black-feminist-thought-by-patricia-hill-collins/

To facilitate discussion, we'll have these ground rules:

-Everyone has the right to contribute to the discussion
-Refrain from personal attacks, criticise the idea and not the person
-Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of age, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief, disability, membership of the travelling community, marital status or family status.

We'll be in the back of Bewleys in the restaurant section. The reservation will be under Irish Feminist Network.

Date: Tuesday, 15th of January
Topic: Feminism & Teenagers
Guest: NWCI's Y-Factor Project team
Location: the Exchange, (Exhange Street Upper, Temple Bar) an arts collective whose website can be found here: http://exchangedublin.ie/
Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm
RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/488675527851106/?ref=ts&fref=ts


To facilitate discussion, we'll have these ground rules:

-Everyone has the right to contribute to the discussion
-Refrain from personal attacks, criticise the idea and not the person
-Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of age, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, transgender status, religious belief, disability, membership of the travelling community, marital status or family status.

Hope to see you there!

When: Thursday, 7th of February, 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Where: Bewleys Cafe on Grafton Street
The Book: Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman
Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/449013075151967/?ref=ts&fref=ts
How to find us: We'll be downstairs in the restaurant section. Our reservation will be under Irish Feminist Network. We'll have the book displayed upright on the table.


About:
**If you're planning to come to the book club, it might be wise to locate a copy of the book asap as you may have to order it online http://www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-Bees-And-Wannabes-boyfriends/dp/0749924373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357579717&sr=8-1 **

As a follow up to Bossypants, we'ved decided to read the book which was the basis for Tina Fey's Mean Girls. You can watch the trailer below.

Here's some info about the book:

"When Rosalind Wiseman first published Queen Bees & Wannabes, she fundamentally changed the way adults look at girls’ friendships and conflicts–from how they choose their best friends, how they express their anger, their boundaries with boys, and their relationships with parents. Wiseman showed how girls of every background are profoundly influenced by their interactions with one another."
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/434051.Queen_Bees_and_Wannabes

Book reviews:

http://rosalindwiseman.com/publications/queen-bees-and-wannabes/qbaw-reviews/

http://jezebel.com/5377987/queen-bees-wannabes--how-technology-has-changed-teens-forever

Book club questions, (how convenient!):

http://rosalindwiseman.com/publications/queen-bees-and-wannabes/qbawbook-club-questions/

To facilitate discussion, we'll have these ground rules:

-Everyone has the right to contribute to the discussion
-Refrain from personal attacks, criticise the idea and not the person
-Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of age, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief, disability, membership of the travelling community, marital status or family status.

Happy reading & hope to see you next month!

When: Thursday, 3rd of January, 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Where: Bewleys Cafe on Grafton Street
The Book: Bossypants by Tina Fey
Facebook Event: Click here to RSVP
How to find us: We'll be downstairs in the restaurant section. Our reservation will be under Irish Feminist Network. We'll have the book displayed                        upright on the table.

About: “You all watched a sketch about feminism,” she says, “and you didn’t even realize it because of all the jokes. It’s like when Jessica Seinfeld puts spinach in kids’ brownies. Suckers!”

Here's what she's referring to. Her infamous portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live:

http://www.metatube.com/en/videos/15556/SNL-The-full-Sarah-Palin-Hillary-Clinton-spoof-with-Tina-Fey/

And here are some book reviews:

http://www.about-face.org/tina-feys-bossypants-may-rescue-her-reputation-as-a-feminist/#.UMitT6y7LgQ

http://www.amazon.com/Bossypants-Tina-Fey/dp/0316056871

http://sluttyfeminist.blogspot.ie/2011/04/what-tina-fey-did.html