History: 2000
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- History: 2000
Projects in 2000
Some of the projects undertaken for the year 2000
Unifying the pro-life movement to lobby for a referendum
In 1999 leading members of Youth Defence and other pro-life organisations came together to form the Mother and Child Campaign. Its objective was to plan and undertake the most intensive and effective lobbying of Irish politicians ever to have taken place in Ireland.
The government had put together an Oireachtas Committee to look at the abortion issue and to recommend various means of dealing with the ruling in the X case. However, in an interview with a Sunday paper, the Chairman of that committee, Brain Lenihan, said that the Committee had ruled out the option of a pro-life referendum. Mr. Lenihan made it clear that the Committee was not considering consulting the people, and, since a referendum was the only method by which full protection would be restored to the unborn child, his interview also revealed that the Committee favoured the introduction of some form of legislation which would permit abortion.
This required an urgent and unified response, and the whole country needed to get lobbying the committee immediately. That became the initial, chief function of the Mother and Child Campaign - a new, broad-based pro-life initiative comprised of people who span the pro-life spectrum in Ireland. Our greatest advantage was the very real fact that 70% of the Irish people wanted a pro-life referendum. We needed to get that 70% in touch with their politicians – and with this committee.
More than half a million lobbying leaflets were distributed: designed not just to inform, but to encourage lobbying for a pro-life referendum and the results were spectacular. Door-to-door follow ups encouraged voters to make their voices heard. A series of meetings ensured that the campaign was organised and far-reaching and brought new volunteers to the cause.
The office was inundated with calls from ordinary people telling of their anger at the situation and of their intention to lobby their TD's. YD members and supporters who in turn rang their own TD's, was met with little of the arrogance shown previously, but with almost panic-stricken reassurances of support for a pro-life referendum. It was a badly needed and very effective campaign that reached out to the once-silent majority of Irish people who oppose abortion and wanted a pro-life referendum.
The campaign produced the desired result – the Oireachtas Committee backed down and included the option of a pro-life referendum in their report.
M&CC – Phase 2
The second phase of the Mother and Child Campaign featured a special Christmas Card and Poster asking the Irish people to keep the pressure on for a pro-life referendum It also asked them to turn their thoughts to Irish mothers and babies at Christmas time and emphasised the importance of an absolute ban on abortion.
A full colour poster with a similar message was also sent to every parish in the country.