Pro-choice campaigners dress as The Handmaid's Tale characters in protest outside Dáil
Pro-choice campaigners dressed as characters from TV series The Handmaid's Tale to protest outside the Dail this afternoon.
The demonstration by women wearing the famous white bonnets and red cloaks, coincided with the first meeting of the Committee on the Eighth Amendment.
The protest was organised by ROSA - for Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity.
The Handmaid's Tale, based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name, is set in a totalitarian society ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state. With a falling birth rate, fertile women are forced into sexual servitude in an attempt to repopulate the world.
Speaking from the protest, Una Reynolds said: "I want this Dáil committee to know that we want the full implementation of the Citizens' Assembly recommendations.
"We don't want it watered down, we want them to represent the public of Ireland who need these recommendations. We want pro-choice, proper legislation that will bring us compliant in human rights law along with all other countries."
The cross-party Oireachtas committee on the eighth amendment is due to meet every Wednesday for the next two months to discuss the citizens' assembly's recommendations, which were published earlier this year.
It will then provide the Government with its own recommendations by Christmas, before Government asks the Dáil and Seanad to sign off on the wording of an abortion referendum planned for next June or July.
Scenes from outside the Irish Parliament today... #8Committee #repealthe8th #handmaidstale pic.twitter.com/T66MDssNJj
— Sadhbh Walshe (@SadhbhWalshe) September 20, 2017
Handmaids' protest for. #repealthe8th outside Dáil. 8th Amendment committee starts at 1:30pm #dubw pic.twitter.com/hnHr2rUXdR
— Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) September 20, 2017
