‘Alliance For Choice’ will be publicly breaking the 1995 Information Act outside the Department of Justice in Dublin on Monday 8th March. The ‘Regulation of Information (Services outside the State for Terminations of Pregnancies) Act 1995’ or more commonly known as the ‘Abortion Information Act 1995’ severely restricts Irish people’s access to information about abortion services abroad. The legislation has serious implications for the protection of women’s welfare when they are faced with a crisis pregnancy. The Act sets out the conditions under which information (the names, addresses and telephone numbers of abortion clinics) may be given, by individuals or agencies, on legal abortion services available outside Ireland. Under the terms of the Act, information can only be given in the context of face-to-face counselling. It is illegal for a doctor to make an appointment with an abortion service on behalf of a pregnant woman, even if her health is at risk.

Commenting Niav Keating said: “By restricting Irish people’s access to information about abortion services abroad, the Irish government is placing unnecessary stress and strain on Irish women. This form of censorship cannot be allowed to continue. Irish women must be able to obtain information easily in order to allow them to make informed decisions when facing an unexpected pregnancy. Despite the difficulties caused by the Act, more than 6,000 women per year have abortions in Britain. We demand that the 1995 Information Act be repealed so that women can obtain information with anonymity and ease. We also call for the regulation of all agencies offering pregnancy counselling. We will be publicly distributing leaflets that include the names and telephone numbers of clinics in the United Kingdom and Europe on International Women’s Day. We see this action as an act of civil disobedience similar to the actions of the women involved in the Contraceptive Train who in 1971 travelled to Belfast and purchased contraceptives. On their return to Dublin they challenged the customs officers at Connolly Train station by openly declaring their illegal imports.“

Alliance for Choice: Background
AFC Information for Irish women about abortion services in the UK and Europe

It's true to say that a very real and ugly form of social apartheid exists in Irish society while at the same time our Government takes its usual proverbial ostrich approach to the problem. This social apartheid is experienced by the single most discriminated against ethnic minority in Ireland, the Travelling Community.

Inadequate accommodation, poor health status and low educational attainment galvanized by government policy and practice, have in turn exasperated the discrimination and the exclusion of Travellers from mainstream society. Travellers experience prejudice of every shape and form on a daily basis and thus are denied their basic human rights when it comes to utilizing the most basic services in society. The under representation of Travellers in the Irish Education system is one of the most worrying examples of the inequality and discrimination that over the last fifty odd years have been stitched deep into the fabric of modern Irish society.

"Without hyperbole or hamsters, doesn't it reflect well on the august institution of TCD? 15 words and yet still there's a typo... not once but twice. [approxiamately is abbreviated as "approx". two "p"s.] still 'tis almost perfect."

"Trinity students have voted by 1800 votes (aprox.) to 1600 votes aprox to boycott Coke."

Previous Indymedia Ireland feature: Coke a Killer in Colombia?
New Attacks on Trade Unionists in Colombia
Maynooth University Next?
The Coke Directors
Isidro Segundo Gil: The Dead Colombian Employee
Coke under investigation for fraudulent practices in Irish plants (by Tony)

"George W Bush, fresh from flattening and abandoning Afghanistan in search of one elusive man, had his eye on a substantial prize in the Middle East. Everybody knew that this was a war for every reason except those that were publicly stated. It was a war for revenge, Saddam had tried to kill his Daddy, it was a war for economic resources, it was a war for oil, (he had to pay back his buddies who funded his election theft.) The loudspeakers were shouting that this was an invasion that was patently wrong. It was under these circumstances that I became engaged in the peace movement in Ireland. I started out small, going to advertised marches against the invasion of Afghanistan and I opened my eyes to the political activity that was ongoing all around me. I was a fresh face in the crowd, I had only recently become aware that this world even existed and I had few preconceived ideas about how the left really worked. I would like to chart the events that took place over the last 3 years from my perspective looking back."

Statement From an Internal Exile

From The Newswire: "Eoin Rice will have been on hunger strike for thirteen days when he appears in the High Court on a writ of Habeus Corpus seeking his release from Limerick Prison. He was jailed by Judge Mangan on 12 Feb for refusing to accept the Banner Judge's decision to ban Eoin from entering Co. Clare.

Eoin was initially arrested for alleged dangerous driving of a stationary car while asleep, and while the car was parked in a lay-by near Shannon airport on Dec 6th 2003, and other alleged offences. He has been before the courts for mention and remand in the meantime on 18 Dec, 8 Jan, 12 Feb and 18 Feb. On 12 Feb Judge Mangan on his own volition and without a request from the Gardai imposed the additional bail condition of banning Eoin Rice from entering Co Clare. This condition has already been imposed on most peace activists who come before Judge Mangan, and in addition, Aer Rianta have attempted to impose a similar ban on 22 of the original Shannon Peace Camp members, from entering Shannon airport.

While the Aer Rianta attempted ban is a civil matter, the Gardai have also attempted to intervene to enforce it and this matter is the subject of a separate complaint to the Garda Complaints Commission. We urge all peace activists to come to the High Court at 2 pm on Wed 25 Feb in solidarity with Eoin Rice.

By appalling coincidence on Sunday 22 Feb, Donald Rumsfeld appeared at Shannon addressing US on their way to Iraq. Some of these troops were believed to have been armed while in the terminal building, and all were believed to have been carrying weapons and munitions with them on the aircraft. At least one of the US troops may have been guilty of stealing a roll of Aer Rianta toilet paper, which act appears to have been caught on camera by a Reuters photographer. While this is not a serious crime, killing up to 30,000 innocent people in Iraq is a crime against humanity as well of course as a crime of murder against each of these victims. The crime of complicity for these crimes now rests with all Irish people because we failed to prevent our government for allowing these troops and munitions through Shannon airport.

Eoin Rice, and other peace activists at least tried in their own small but significant ways to bring these crimes to the attention of the proper authorities. Like many just whistle-blowers, he was victimised and jailed. Ireland's neutrality and sovereignty has been violated and abused by the passage of a massive US army through our airport and territory. Of more importance of course is the violation of the lives and limbs of all those innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan. There has been no protest by the Irish Government about Rumsfeld's abuse of Shannon Airport on Sunday last. Even the opposition have been silent. They are more concerned with agreeing with McDowell on preventing new members of the EU from coming to Ireland. Shame on all who have remained silent for whatever reason and who continue to remain silent.

Eoin Rice, Fintan Lane, Mary Kelly, Nuria Dunne, the Catholic Workers, The Shannon Peace Camp activists, and a few others, too few, will continue to speak out regardless of threats and difficulties imposed on us. Shame on those in the media who fail to provide balanced reporting on Ireland's complicity in the Iraq war. Please make your voice heard in the cause of peace and justice, tomorrow and always."

Edward Horgan

Background:
Statement from Eoin in Limerick Prison:
Shannon Warport Update: