Students from Trinity joined a 10,000-strong crowd today to mark the 10th annual Rally for Life in Dublin.
A mere two days after thousands of people took to the streets to demand a repeal of the eighth amendment, students joined other pro-life groups in a march to save it. The Trinity group gathered outside the Campanile in Front Square before heading to the Garden of Remembrance where there was music, chanting and speeches.
Speaking to The University Times, a spokesperson from Students for Life (TCD) Blanáid Ní Bhraonáin said that she hoped they could “show diversity of the movement”. She added that the group was moreover hoping to “show our consistent life ethic and bring our pro-life feminist philosophy to the rally for life”.
Trinity was not the only university in attendance, with University College Dublin (UCD) Life Society, NUI Galway (NUIG) Life Society and Maynooth University Prolife Society all sending delegations, all passionate about maintaining the constitutional status quo.
At the Garden of Remembrance before the march, UCD Life Society echoed its Trinity counterpart in the hopes of showing the diversity of the pro-life movement. Speaking to The University Times, Alexandra Brazil, a spokesperson from the society, said that she and her group “see it as really important that people don’t just assume that all students are for repeal”. She further emphasised that abortion “is an issue that affects students”.
Another member of UCD Life Society, Robert Lee, stated his belief that the debate was “an issue of equality”. “Irish law does allow for intervention if the right to life of the mother is at risk. This is wholly different from abortion which is the deliberate ending of a life”, he said.
The march got underway with a rendition of the national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, at the Garden of Remembrance. Stewards went around handing out pro-life posters, while a merchandise stand sold a wide range of pro-life themed clothing.
The procession slowly made its way down O’Connell St and across the quays to Merrion Square. A small group of repeal protesters staged a demonstration along O’Connell St. Holding a repeal banner, they silently watched on as the march went past.
Despite government discussions on the amendment being delayed yesterday, both sides of the debate have been gearing up for a referendum on the issue for the last few months. On Thursday, repeal organisers pitched the march as the last one under the eighth amendment.
The impending referendum was also clearly on the minds of those marching today. The crowd assembled was continually asked to sign up for canvassing, and stewards walked around with buckets collecting donations. Almost all of the speakers emphasised the importance of action in the community. Also announced was the launch of a new “My Eight” app, aimed at organising local pro-life canvassing groups.
Organisers of the march said that 100,000 people were in attendance. Merrion Square, where the march ended, has the capacity to hold a maximum of 14,000 people. The crowd drew from all age groups, though older generations were best represented, making up the bulk of those marching. If the pro-life movement has in recent years tried to shed its religious image, it has only been partially successful. Many of those attending carried rosary beads and other religious iconography, as well as crucifixes. However, it is notable that these were pockets of the crowd, and by no means dominated proceedings.
Speaking at Merrion Square, Irish entrepreneur and prominent conservative Declan Ganley said that it was “truly a historic day”.
“We will not import England’s error”, he told those assembled. “Instead we will raise the torch of life. The torch of liberty for all and we will fight for the rest of our lives for our boys and girls.”
Other speakers at the march included Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute, Down Syndrome advocate Charlie Fien and TD Mattie McGrath.
“By your show of people power today, they’ll be waiting a long time before the eighth amendment is removed”, said McGrath, who took the opportunity to repeat his earlier criticisms of the Oireachtas Committee process.
Bernie Smyth from Precious Life closed proceedings. She was heavily critical of the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast – Smyth was convicted in 2014 of harassing the former director of the clinic, Dawn Purvis – warning those gathered that it and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service were “waiting on the sidelines” for the legalisation of abortion law in the republic.
She rallied the crowd, quoting Deuteronomy before calling them to lobby against law reform “until we stop the bloody slaughter and the threat of abortion in this land”. She compared the fight against a repeal to that of “all the saints and martyrs who have waged war and driven paganism out of our country”. She finished with a call to protect “those innocent children who are totally reliant on us – the unborn”.
