Poignant Call to Repeal the Eighth

The eighth amendment of the Irish constitution is ever-increasingly a controversial issue. For those who don’t know, the amendment equates the rights of an unborn child with the rights of the person carrying it, essentially meaning abortion in all cases is illegal in Ireland. The opposition has been gaining major traction since the Marriage Referendum last year saw such a massive turnout of young voters. IFTA award winning director Dave Tynan has released a short film titled ‘We Face This Land’ featuring a group of women in Repeal jumpers walking into the sea.

The women recite lines from a piece written by novelist Sarah Maria Griffin. They insist that a body is just a body, not a vessel or country and consequently “the laws of the church have no place on your flesh”. They go on to question the fact that a veterinarian can abort a calf if a cow is in danger, asking “How is it that livestock is worth more to this land than us?” The film powerfully demonstrates the lack of choice Irish women have. 11 Irish women must ‘go to the sea’ every day to get this medical treatment.

Watch the short yourself here.

 

 

About Jess Dunne

Jess is an English with Film grad with a healthy respect for the big Blockbusters and other such entertainment 'fluff'. Who says pleasures have to be guilty?

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