Two women have live tweeted their journey from Ireland to Britain to gain an abortion.
Tweeting from @TwoWomenTravel, a woman seeking a termination and her friend chart their journey from the emerald isle (where abortion is essentially illegal, unless a woman’s life is at risk), over to Britain where it is available.
As a largely Catholic country, Ireland draws its abortion law from the country’s Eighth Amendment – which grants the unborn foetus the same rights as its mother.
This law is largely supported by the country’s prime minister, Enda Kenny, who the two women tag in most of their posts about their abortion trip.
In England, Scotland and Wales, abortion is a free procedure on the National Health Service up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy.
The women want to repeal the 8th
At the start of their journey, the pair share a handwritten message to the Twitter page that reads: “We make this journey in stern solidarity with all our Irish sisters who have gone before us.”
Thankfully, after tweeting about their fraught journey, one of the women writes: “Friend is out & safe. Procedure was quick & staff very warm. Our love to you all. @EndaKennyTD failed us. You did not.”
The women wrote a longer statement on their twitter page after their return to Ireland. It read:
***“Everyday at least 12 Irish women are exiled to clinics in the UK to procure an abortion. These women choose to have abortions, but they do not choose to be shamed into the secrecy, panic and guilt that the journey to leave their home country inspires.
We wanted to share the very ordinariness of the situation…
We had to travel because our government insists that we pretend this isn’t happening. We defy the Irish government to ignore us and we defy our Taoiseach Enda Kenny to avoid this conversation. We have done this to bring to light the reality of our journey to our sisters, mothers, brothers, fathers, friends, colleagues and total strangers. All of whom have shown more empathy, support and acceptance than our own government.
Our journey ends here tonight but the struggle for our reproductive freedom continues. We hope that the outpouring of public support encourages more women to document their experiences, to highlight the issue, and to stand with us in the battle for control over our bodies.
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.
Yours in solidarity, TWT.”***
