‘Name and Shame’ Tour Puts TDs extreme abortion record on public display

We were very pleased to join CitizenGO this week in a tour which travelled to different counties for an important and timely “Name and Shame” tour.

The campaign highlighted the vote that took place last December, where 71 TDs voted for abortion on demand for up to 6 months, as well as the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth.

The vote astonished many last year and truly shocked people since voters had been told abortion would supposedly be ‘safe, legal and rare’. Strong denials had been made that late-term abortion would even be considered as a ‘on demand’ measure.

But, just seven years later, if it hadn’t been for just two more votes, the legislation would have passed. It was an incredibly narrow result, with 73 TDs voting against the motion and 71 in favour. Even among those who support abortion, many still saw this as an extreme proposal and were deeply uncomfortable with it. Yet despite the strong reactions, many people who do not closely follow the news easily missed it altogether. That’s why the ‘Name and Shame’ tour is highly important.

There were two main parts to the tour. The first involved standing with a large banner that read, in bold writing, “Hall of Shame: the 71 TDs who voted for abortion up to birth,” followed by the names of all 71 TDs in clear, capital letters. The banner had a powerful impact. Even people who generally support abortion were visibly shocked and unsettled. Many stopped to search for the names of their local TDs and were genuinely taken aback. Again and again, people asked how they had not heard about this, and why anyone would support such a far-reaching and drastic proposal.

The second part of the tour involved distributing leaflets in the local areas. These leaflets named the TDs who voted for the bill last Christmas and explained what later-term abortion entails. In some cases, people who opened their doors were visibly shocked as they read through the information. While some expressed support for abortion in principle, many still felt that this went too far.

The government promised us that abortion would be safe and rare. We know that it is neither, but why the huge push to liberalize the killing of babies even further? This campaign is so important, shining a light on a vote that most people are horrified by it. The TDs were not held accountable with the majority of the public not knowing the vote happened. What we saw on the streets is clear- to the majority, the TDs who voted for such extreme measures on abortion - their vote did not represent the voice of the people of Ireland.

Well done to Citizen Go, and to our volunteers who assisted the initiative. More in next week’s report.

Some photos from the Roadshow