Derry Girls and MPs join suitcase march on Parliament to demand abortion rights
28 women - the number who fly from Northern Ireland for an abortion each week - will march with suitcases to Parliament in protest of Northern Ireland's abortion laws.
Each suitcase will contain sheets of paper with the names of 62,000 people calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland.
The 28 women - including Derry Girls cast members Siobhan McSweeney and Nicola Coughlan; women who have been affected by Northern Ireland’s restrictive law; cross-party MPs including Karin Smyth, Diana Johnson, Heidi Allen and Christine Jardine; and abortion rights activists - will walk with suitcases from Westminster Bridge, around Parliament Square, to the Northern Ireland Office.
Siobhan McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in TV series Derry Girls, said:
“The North has been neglected for too long. It makes me so angry that women there are being denied bodily autonomy and health care services available to others in the rest of the UK and Ireland – they have reproductive rights too. I’ll be here fighting alongside Amnesty for Northern Ireland until the degrading law there is changed. It has to happen soon.”
Nicola Coughlan, who plays Clare Devlin in Derry Girls, said:
“It was such a proud moment when we Repealed the 8th in Ireland but it’s now time our sisters in Northern Ireland get the change so desperately overdue. Let’s do this for women everywhere. Women who have abortions are not criminals, it’s time the law stopped treating them as such.”
Grainne Teggart, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland Campaign Manager, said:
“62,000 people are calling on the Northern Ireland Secretary of State to decriminalise abortion. They recognise the grave harm caused by the existing law and want change.
“All eyes are firmly on the Secretary of State to see how she’ll respond. For too long our demands for equality have been ignored and our rights sacrificed for political expediency.
“The time for change is now. Northern Ireland cannot be left behind as the only part of the UK and Ireland with a near total ban on abortion. It’s 2019 - time we had laws that respect and value women’s lives.
However, Both Lives Matter have branded the move as a 'publicity stunt' and have organised a demonstration at Westminster to show that 100,000 people are alive today because of Northern Ireland’s pro-both laws.
The pro life group will be countering the Amnesty march.
Ten women will each hold a box containing 10,000 names to symbolise and highlight the 100,000 people who are alive today because of Northern Ireland’s abortion laws.
Dawn McAvoy, co-founder of Both Lives Matter said:
“Amnesty, whose leadership have offered to resign following a recent internal report which found significant incidences of bullying, sexism and public humiliation, need to get their own house in order. Instead they are organising another publicity stunt that ignores the approximately 38 babies born every week in NI directly because of our pro-both laws. While English MPs and comedy actresses are entitled to their views, this is a matter for the people of Northern Ireland. Two thirds of women (and 70% of 18-34 year olds) in NI want legislative decisions on our abortion law to be made by our democratically elected politicians in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”