Voting Yes will "remove the harmful Eighth Amendment from the Constitution" and allow the State "create a caring and compassionate environment for women in Ireland in crisis pregnancy situations".
This is the view of Orla O’Connor, co-director of Together For Yes, which she put forward at Tuesday night's official launch of the Galway Together for Yes campaign in the Harbour Hotel.
The launch, which was attended by more than 200 people, marks the official start of the Together for Yes campaign in the west of Ireland. The organisation is a national civil society campaign working to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution. It is led by the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, and the Abortion Rights Campaign.
Among the speakers at the launch were Michael Creed of Doctors for Choice. "We are trained as doctors to first do no harm, provide the best care to our patients, and respect and support their autonomy in decision-making," he said. "The Eighth Amendment means we cannot do this for pregnant women. Restrictive abortion laws punish women, many times in tragic circumstances, and remove our ability to provide vital healthcare to them. The only way we can change this and improve our care of women in pregnancy is with a Yes vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment."
Sharon Nolan, co-convener of Galway Together For Yes, said: "We're delighted to be launching the Galway Together for Yes Campaign. We have volunteers across the city and county ready to go who are leafleting and canvassing across the region. We aim to get as many people as possible out to vote Yes on May 25, and to engage with the public on why we believe removing the Eighth amendment is the best for the women of Ireland."
