Dublin TD promotes pro-choice campaign

A Socialist Party press release, 29.10.14

Ruth Coppinger, a Socialist Party TD in the Republic of Ireland parliament travelled to Northern Ireland on Tuesday along with 30 other pro-choice activists to receive abortion pills from the pro-choice organisation Women on Web.

They took them back to Dublin, where these pills are illegal, in defiance of the ban on most terminations in the Republic.

The Guardian has reported on Ruth's leading role in this campaign: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/28/irish-politician-abortion-pill-dublin , and points out that: "last year the Republic's customs service seized more than 1,000 tablets that were posted from Britain and Europe to Irish women seeking to terminate their pregnancies".

The pro-choice campaigners also attended a Dublin rally to mark the second anniversary of the death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar. Savita died in Galway university hospital after being refused a termination.

 Ruth Coppinger will be speaking in London on Saturday 8th November 2014, at a 18.30 rally in London's Camden Centre. The rally is part of 'Socialism 2014', a weekend of discussion and debate hosted by the Socialist Party (England & Wales).
 Ruth will be present at a press conference at 14-00 on 8th November (venue tbc), alongside her two fellow Socialist Party TDs, and Kshama Sawant, a socialist councillor who is coming to speak from Seattle, US.

For information about the event: www.socialism2014.net

For interviews with Ruth, Kshama and other participants contact:

Sarah Sachs Eldridge: [email protected] 020 8988 8771

Judy Beishon: [email protected] 020 8988 8770

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