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A PRO-LIFE group is to hold a demonstration outside a Dublin hotel after it became the second venue to cancel an event in the space of a week.
The Spencer Hotel yesterday contacted Unbroken – a group which supports those who gave birth or were born as a result of rape – to tell its members that it had to cancel the event because of threats made to staff.
The Gibson Hotel similarly cancelled Unbroken’s planned meeting last week.
It has been alleged that staff members received death threats online after it emerged the Spencer Hotel was to host the event after The Gibson cancelled. A complaint has not yet been made to gardaí over the incident but TheJournal.ie has been made aware of the specific nature of the threats.
Unbroken spokeswoman Ciara Murphy told TheJournal.ie that she was “disgusted” when she heard about the cancellation.
“They have cancelled it because of threats… Yesterday, the hotel got in touch and said that they have to put the safety of its staff first. Last week, the Gibson cancelled.
But we are organising a demonstration outside the Spencer Hotel tonight where these women will speak about their experiences. These ladies can’t be silenced.
Laura Ní Chonghaile of Unbroken Ireland, who is a rape survivor, added that she is “tired of being silenced”.
“There is no place in a democratic debate for this extremism, and for shouting down women who have been raped,” Ní Chonghaile said.
Three women, who are all from the US, were due to speak at the hotel about how they gave birth after being raped or how they were conceived through rape. The organisers said the group’s intent is to break down the stigma of being a child or a mother of rape.
In a statement issued yesterday, Clíona Saidléar of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) said it is “critical” that rape survivors are represented respectfully, factually and without judgement given their diversity and the “potential pain this topic causes”.
She noted that rape survivors have “always featured disproportionately in the public debates on abortion access in Ireland”. She said that “we have limited facts about the approximately 5% of all female rape victims who become pregnant”.
For some years RCNI has released data on the pregnancy outcomes for rape survivors attending rape crisis centres. It is critical to always note that these facts do not tell us about the options, intentions, choices and the feelings of rape survivors.
Her statement came in light of two events planned this week. As well as Unbroken’s meeting, the Abortion Rights Campaign held a press conference yesterday ahead of the March for Choice this weekend.
Activist and rape survivor Dominique Meehan, whose rapist was jailed for 12 years in June, attended. She spoke about how the “thought of an unwanted pregnancy” is something all victims deal with, even if they are not pregnant.
“I told my parents that if I’m pregnant we’re going to England. How is that fair for anyone in my situation, knowing that my own government would look at me as a criminal because I couldn’t carry my rapist’s child?” she said.
A referendum on the Eighth Amendment is pencilled in for June or July of next year.
The exact wording of the question to be posed to the electorate has not yet been finalised. Currently, the Committee on the Eighth Amendment is holding weekly meetings to examine the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. It will provide the Oireachtas with a report in December with a view to informing legislation options.
Earlier this year, the Citizen’s Assembly recommended that the Eighth Amendment should be replaced or amended and that abortion should be legal without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Both the Gibson and Spencer hotels have been contacted for comment.
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At least we’re going to have one sober person in the dail. We’ll for a month anyways!
Is this crap really something worth talking about??? Who cares weather he is off the beer or not,
Mick I wonder what he is doing about the crisis that has hit the hospitals…..?
“again.”
Mick. Dont know if its worth talking but he sure is good on the eyes. A fine specimen of the male species. AHH
Alcohol related illness and alcohol related anti-social behaviour (fights, domestic violence stabbings, car accidents caused by drunken people) contribute significantly to the problems emergency departments face.
And in general alcohol abuse and addiction are serious health problems facing the Irish public.
I thought the I.H.F. advocated a few tipples per wk, alcohol in moderation is good for your heart i thought? Good luck to everyone taking part though.
It’s only 10 minutes of his time spent promoting a health campaign. Ffs, calm down people.
Does he think he’s not dry enough already? He’s as dry as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm.
if they were actually sincere about this they would close the Dail bar. I’m tired of this country being run by a group of drunken parasites!
Ironically, they’re probably the only group of people who can still afford to buy a scatter of pints in the month of January.
Buy pints?its all on tick in the Dail bar. one former td left behind a large bill when he knew he wasn’t going to return after the last election
The same leo who shouted abuse at gerry Adams when gerry called for dail bar to be closed? Ha
The impression I get from this person from government, that he is just a publicity junkie, although very low level, not like Kim Kardashians.
What a hero and role model this man is.
Now where is the sick bag.
Poor Leo Varadkar thinks he’s Superman…
Even with a vastly superior body and superpowers Superman had the decency to change in a phone booth or down an alley.
Leo by the looks of things is bearing all on the grounds of TCD. I wish he wouldn’t….he is not really a sight to behold like…
He was “off” doing his job for most of January also.
Yeah, that’s great he’s off the booze, now could he please stop trying to distract us and get back to sorting the catastrophic healthcare crisis?
I gave up drinking all but a pint/ bottle or two of beer a year 3 years ago. I replaced booze with exercise and there isn’t an ounce of publicity for me…..
But go ahead media heap praise on Leo…
He,d wanna start drinking bottles of cop on ..
Sure he probably can’t afford it on the pittance he gets
Say anything do anything for his mug to be in the headlines._journal do you not get it these people are not wanted in government
Those ppl would make you sick. That man should be visiting the hospitals to see what exactly to see what is going on instead he is pr1.cking about some non descript launch talk about a govt not fit for the purpose intended. Definitely the worst irish govt EVER.
Oh, yeah. Crazy that the Minister for Health would give 10 minutes towards promoting a health campaign…
in that last pic , he looks as if he’s been on a hell of a bender all night , “gimme a cof , gim, gimmee a coffee qu ick “
Oh what important news that is. How about he givin up been a complete tool
Closest thing the Dail has to a role model.
Good health message Leo, keep it up.
Leo I’ll do anything but my job varadker!!!!
I don’t think he really understands what the whole ‘Minister Of Health’ position actually entails. Next he will be telling us he is doing a great job as he just joined a new gym or saying ‘No worries lads, my health is fine as I just gave up gluten too!’
Why is Nuala Carey there?
The same reason as the other two. She is a celebrity who is there to help to promote the campaign.
Maybe Leo would be better of dealing with the actual issues at hand instead of engaging in all these PR exercises. Last week over 600+ on trollies (and to deal with it them cancelled surgeries) and today a 9 year old girl with cancer is denied a medical card and once again yet another irish family is forced to raise money via social media to save a child’s life… But this clown too busy keeping himself out of the dail bar. I would love to meet one person who has can point me in the direction of something good the minister has done that actual relates to his job and was not a PR stunt? Maybe the journal could investigate his actual ministerial work and publish that instead of the constant PR stuff. Everytime I log on here it’s another Leo stunt being discussed
Who gives a bollix
A child with cancer, denied a medical card by this fools department, and this is the page space he’s given. Top class Journal!!
And we give a shit, Why?
..and the drug dealers on Westmoreland Street are now running the Dáil Bar for the month.
Typical its half way through January,
And he’s jumping on the band wagon,
He was on the boos In Florida,
When there was 800 people on trolleys
In A&E units all over the country,
He’s enough to drive you to Drink
I’d certainly like to give him plenty of booos!
Maybe a bout of sobriety will stop him from spinning!
And this is news because??? I have given up drink till 14 February as its my birthday that day but will stay off drink till then… many others give up to so why should one care about some idiot that cant even manage our health service or give him paper/online time..
Well done to Leo. We constantly ask politicians to lead by example and he is showing the leadership that is needed.
That lad would drive you to drink – I was in Galway A.and E. today …
At least our frontline staff are earning their corn and then some !
That’s just the excuse I needed. I’m going back on the drink.
He has to be the village idiot…. Always in the news acting the plonk…
Another yawn..
Off his mind, does anyone really care ? Just another over paid incompentent gob$hite.
Yawn.
The gingerman pub wont be too pleased !!
Good he might get the hospitals sorted out instead of sitting in the daily bar
Maybe the money he saves can go to making more hospital beds , Leo u got the poison chalice ministry u pissed off enda the creep.
I think he’s off his head…
I might not agree with everything he does,but he was asked to promote this idea and what is wrong with that.If there wasn’t as many drink and drug related problems our A and E’s would be half as bad not to talk about the costs.A person who abuses drink or drugs causes a ripple effect that affects lots of other people.
Is that statement a negative of what he is doing every January?
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