Statement by the Communist Party of Ireland
9 June 2016
The Communist Party of Ireland welcomes the findings of the UN Human Rights Committee, which has said that Ireland’s abortion laws violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on several points and has called for widespread reform.
“The State party should amend its law on voluntary termination of pregnancy, including if necessary its Constitution, to ensure compliance with the Covenant, including effective, timely and accessible procedures for pregnancy termination in Ireland, and take measures to ensure that health care providers are in a position to supply full information on safe abortion services without fearing being subjected to criminal sanctions.”
This is a long-awaited judgement, but it does not guarantee change. All our people, but particularly women, need to bring pressure to bear to ensure that the Government fully complies with this ruling, as well as to bring pressure to bear on both the Northern Executive and the British government, because women in the North face the same sanctions.
We echo the statement made by the National Women’s Council of Ireland, which said: “Women must be trusted to make the best choices in their pregnancies and we must respect their decisions, including the decision to end a pregnancy.”
