Pro Choice Campaigning Meeting 27 January 2007.

Pro Choice Campaigning
dublin gender and sexuality event notice Monday January 22, 2007 15:38 by Jane

Open Meeting

The meeting will take place at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer St. "Pro-Choice Campaigning" is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro choice campaign in Ireland today.

It’s time to put the issue of Abortion Rights in Ireland back on the agenda. Abortion is an issue that politicians and newspapers don’t want to talk about anymore. In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably. But the situation in Ireland hasn’t changed. The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored.Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights – only the Vatican City and Malta rival Ireland at European level.Successive governments have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman’s life was in danger.As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all. This situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for womens’ rights in Ireland. This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers.People of all political persuasions and none are encouraged to attend. A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.AgendaWorkshop 1 – Abortion: A class analysis – Facilitated by Aileen O'Carroll (Workers' Solidarity Movement)Workshop 2 – Pro-choice outreach campaigning – Facilitated by Ailbhe Smyth (Womens' Education and Research Resource Centre, UCD)Workshop 3 – Direct Action – Facilitated by Aoife Cooke (RAG Collective) This agenda is open to change and suggestions on the day. The meeting will take place at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer St.
(Hosted by Labour Youth - everyone is welcome)

Related Link: http://www.labouryouth.ie/




http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80548

Hot Press interview on rogue agency

THE LYING GAME: ANTI-ABORTIONS CAMPAIGNERS AND THE WAR AGAINST TRUTH

Claiming to offer impartial family planning advice, rogue pregnancy information centres are pushing a pro-life slant. WORDS Daniel Finn

Fifteen years after the X case, Irish women are still being denied access to information about abortion. Now a group of pro-choice activists have launched a campaign against so-called "rogue" pregnancy information centres. They have highlighted an alarming pattern of distortion and manipulation by agencies offering advice to vulnerable young women.

"These agencies are rogue because they seem to be offering all the options, they're very much projecting an image of being pro-choice, you're going to be drawn to them if you're considering abortion as an option," argues psychologist Sinead Ahern, one of the organisers of the campaign. "They don't say explicitly that they think abortion is a bad thing and they disapprove of it, but they manipulate women into thinking abortion is bad and try to manipulate them out of making a choice to have an abortion, rather than giving them the facts of the matter."

The activists have targeted the self-styled Women's Resource Centre, a clinic based on Dorset Street in north Dublin. The centre has the largest advertisement in the "family planning" section of the Golden Pages (dwarfing the IFPA's ad), under the name A Choice for Women. The ad promises "all options". It also mentions links between the centre and other clinics in London, Liverpool and Manchester.

"We found the names of two alleged rogue agencies, A Choice for Women and the British Alternatives Pregnancy Services," says Sinead Ahern. "When women from our group phoned up the two numbers, we realised that they were both directing people to the same place on Dorset Street." The two agencies are the only ones in the phonebook that don't give an address. A number of women involved in the pro-choice group made appointments with the Women's Resource Centre, saying that they were pregnant. Sinead describes their experiences as "disturbing".

"They give false medical information and manipulate women through fear," she insists. "Any counselling agency will tell you its aim has to be to empower women and guide them to making a choice for themselves. There's nothing more disempowering for women than giving them false information and that's what this agency does."

One of the women who went to the Dorset Street clinic made a recording of her one-hour session with the agency's counsellor, a copy of which has been given to HOT PRESS. She was repeatedly told that she would place herself at risk of contracting breast cancer if she went ahead with any decision to have an abortion. "The risk of breast cancer almost doubles after one abortion," she was told... "Your risk of breast cancer rises significantly.. . every woman who has an abortion her risk of breast cancer rises... you're the one that's going to have to go away and get up in the stirrups and risk breast cancer which is already in your family." Finally she was assured that "if you decide to continue with the pregnancy you'll have protected yourself for life from breast cancer."

RELIGIOUS RIGHT WING

She was also given an information sheet, which described psychological effects of abortion, including "suicidal impulses", "preoccupation with death", "inability to forgive self" and "feeling of dehumanization". Although the literature states that women who have had abortions experience "thwarted maternal instincts" and "intense interest in babies", it also claims that they are much more likely to abuse any future children they may have - a suggestion that is entirely without foundation in experience or research. Another sheet which makes a completely fictitious link between abortion and breast cancer concludes: "The saying 'God always forgives, man sometimes forgives, nature never forgives' may be a good example in this case."

The agency behind the Dorset St. clinic has used several different names in the past. Between 1995 and 1999, it operated as the Aadam's agency, which also had a large ad in the Golden Pages giving readers the impression that it offered abortion information. The Aadam's agency was forced to shut down after a High Court ruling that its founder had unlawful custody of a young mother's child. But it soon resurfaced as the Women's Counselling Network, and later Alpha. The Alpha name was ditched after a radio documentary by a Newstalk journalist exposed its practices. The journalist recorded the advice she was given by the agency's counsellor, after making an appointment.

While the name may have changed, it appears that the nature of the clinic has not. The evidence of the radio documentary is almost identical to the recording made last month and given to HOTPRESS. The same woman asked the same questions and gave the same advice in almost every detail - often repeating her lines word-for-word. Some figures associated with the clinic have been politically active on the Irish religious right-wing. Eamon Murphy, named by the Examiner as the head of the Aadam's centre, ran for the Euro Parliament in 1994 and 1999 as a radical anti-abortion candidate. Michael Larkin stood as a candidate for the Christian Solidarity Party in 2002 in both Dublin and Tipperary. The Dorset St. clinic's owner is registered as Michael O'Lorchain.

Sinead Ahern wants the government to intervene and regulate the agencies offering advice to pregnant women. "One step that could be taken would be to strictly regulate the people who call themselves counsellors," she argues. "People working in this clinic present themselves as qualified professionals, but what right do they actually have to be giving pregnant women advice? A code of practice for counsellors could make a big difference."

The campaigners are planning to highlight other "rogue" centres they believe to be operating in Cork and Limerick. "There's such a stigma attached to crisis pregnancy in Ireland that a lot of women find themselves alone in that position and find that they can't talk to friends and families," says Ahern. "So agencies are very much a last port of call for women, and they especially tend to be the only port of call for a particularly vulnerable type of woman. Those are the people who need fair, objective advice more than anyone – but these rogue centres prey on their vulnerability."

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today found that governments have
a duty to establish effective mechanisms for ensuring that women have access to
abortion where it is legal. Judgement in the case of A polish woman , Alicja Tysiac
held that Poland was in breach of her human rights and awarded her 25,000 euros
in her case where she was left nearly blind.

The NGO ;- Centre for Reproductive rights http://www.reproductiverights.org
has the info and release.

AFC are putting the story out for immeadiate release so I just put the link in
here.

also I have printed out the Rogue agency report to give it to the professional
agencies to have a look at the issue of non-directional counselling.
[http://www.indymedia.ie]

The case is Alicja Tysiac V Poland.

Useful Links on International advocate groups

I have mentioned the Columbian abortion challenge on Numerous occassions
both in AFC and www.indymedia.ie;

The history to the case and backround are available at these links:-

http://www.whrnet.org/docs/interview-roa-0507.html
http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1155
http://www.womenslinkworldwide.org

other interesting alliances:-
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34857
http://www.federa.org.pl/signatures
(this is the link to the federa organisation- Polish federation for women
and family planning who are fighting the LPR constitutional challenge
to the abortion rights. ( I did a piece on indy, but you will have to use the
search engine at the top right, all the articles on the issue are in there)

The indy womyn project for women activists is available from the womyn's
mailing list that you can google and the site is developing nicely. it is open to
contributing and activist women within the IMC family of writers.

Wil update this when I have a chance, other interesting developments are
in Nicaragua and Portugal (both on Indy.ie)

AFC has links to most groups and general reproductive rights issues
are coming up all the time on the various women's sites.
I will research the list and add in here as soon as I have time.

More Pro Choice Direct Action

Pro Choice Direct Action

Following the successful picket on Wednesday 7 March at the rogue crisis
pregnancy agency, a follow up action will be held on Saturday 24 March at 12
noon. To build for this action a leafleting session will be held outside the
GPO on Thursday 22 March at 5.30 pm.

Activities:

1. Leafleting at GPO Thursday 22 March at 5.30 pm (to be followed by Pro
Choice Direct Action Group meeting).

2. Picket at rogue crisis pregnancy agency, 50 Upper Dorset St. @ 12 noon,
Saturday 24 March.

Pat

Leaflet

Today Thursday the 8th of March is InternationalWomen’s Day and 2007 makes this the 15th anniversary of the X case ruling. It is therefore an appropriate occasion to ask “What the fuck is going on?” with this Rogue Agency currently calling itself the “WRC” located at number 50 on Upper Dorset Street.

The “WRC” at number 50 on Upper Dorset Street is a rogue pregnancy counselling agency. It is a rogue agency because it masquerades as a pro-choice agency in order to deceive, misinform, and manipulate women who come here seeking an abortion in the pursuit of its pro-life agenda. “WRC” is what is currently written on the sign above the door but this rogue agency has operated, and continues to operate under numerous aliases. Founded in 1995 it operated until 1999 as the “Aadams Women Centre” when it was forced to close after a scandal concerning
illegal adoptions. It then began operating as the “Women’s Counselling Network”. There was then a further media scandal concerning a woman who attended this rogue agency and subsequently had her appointment at an abortion clinic in Holland cancelled by someone who falsely claimed to be her boyfriend. This rogue agency currently advertises in the Golden Pages through two separately branded ‘fronts’. These fronts are called “Choice for Women” and “British Alternative Pregnancy Services”. When ever a woman responds to either of these two different advertisements, which are deliberately designed to give the misleading impression
of representing a pro-choice agency, they end up with an appointment here at number 50 on Upper Dorset Street. Every time a particular brand alias is exposed this rogue agency changes it, so remember the address that remains the same! The “WRC” is not the only rogue agency operating in Ireland. “Ask Majella” is another known rogue agency that also advertises in Dublin’s Golden Pages but operates at a location in Limerick.

The Misinformation and Deception of the Rogue Agency at 50 Upper Dorset St
This rogue agency misinforms women that it is impossible to have an abortion before eight weeks, even though an abortion during this period is cheaper and safer.
They also falsely claim that there is no such thing as a medical abortion and that all abortions are therefore surgical, even though a medical abortion is when a drug is administered to end pregnancy. In England medical abortions are performed up until 9 weeks.
Having falsely asserted that all abortions are surgical abortions they then claim that this surgery puts the woman’s life at risk. This is a gross overstatement of the small risk of complications associated with any surgical procedure. There are similar risks of complications with carry a pregnancy to full term.
The agency demands that a woman seeks an unnecessary ultrasound at a private hospital before information about abortion services will be disclosed. The agency has no intention of providing such information, it simply seeks to delay the woman’s plans by weeks and cause additional expense to be incurred. Three weeks later the agency will try to use the ultrasound image in a further attempt to try to get the woman to reconsider her course of action.
They misinform pregnant women that this is their only opportunity to have a child because abortion causes sterility. Abortion terminates a pregnancy not fertility!
They falsely claim that abortion causes depression, even though abortion can be an empowering choice that improves self-esteem for women faced with the truly depressing prospect of living with an unwanted pregnancy and unwanted children. If this agency really cared about women’s mental health then they’d probably offer support instead of manipulating them through lies into fear and guilt.
They misinform that abortion puts the woman’s life at risk because it causes a 90% increase to the risk of breast cancer, yet no major cancer organisation in the world believes that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer. If a woman won’t describe abortion as “killing my own baby” then they are pronounced “psychologically unfit” to have an abortion because you are supposedly in denial if you describe abortion in any other [ie. less pro-life] way.
They confuse abortion with rape by describing abortion as a ‘hostile penetration’, manipulating the real recent trauma of rape victims seeking an abortion. They have even insisted that rape cannot cause pregnancy, saying, it must be your boyfriend's child!
They also have claimed that abortion leads to both ‘promiscuity’ and ‘frigidity’!

day one

day one of this blog's existance. fittingly, our first pro-choice direct action is taking place in two hours time on the rogue pregnancy agency on dorset street. happy international women's day everyone x