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The campaign launched today in the Alex Hotel. Leah Farrell via RollingNews.ie

Love Both launches its referendum campaign and criticises 12 weeks proposal for abortion

The camapign claimed today that proposed legislation is worse than the UK system.

THE LOVE BOTH campaign, which is advocating a No vote in the upcoming Eighth Amendment referendum, officially launched its campaign today.

Love Both has argued that the Eighth Amendment saves lives, and that Ireland’s current laws are responsible for creating an environment where unborn babies and mothers are both valued.

While not the main group calling for a No vote, the group’s launch focused on the government’s proposal that abortion access would be unrestricted for the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.

Spokesperson Cora Sherlock said that the removal of the Eighth Amendment from the Irish constitution would result in a nationwide, GP-led abortion service on request for the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.

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Love Both’s legal consultant Caroline Simons said that the proposed legislation will allow for abortion on vague grounds.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Katie Ascough, former president of UCD Students’ Union, said that the government is proposing “a very extreme abortion regime” that was in many ways “more extreme” than the UK’s system.

In the UK, abortions are legal up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy if there is a risk to the woman’s life, if there is a substantial risk that the child would suffer mental or physical abnormalities or if abortion is necessary to prevent permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the woman.

The event in Dublin’s Alex hotel attracted six TDs: Fine Gael’s Peter Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fáil’s Eamon O Cuív, Kevin O’Keeffe and Declan Breathnach and independents Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy Rae.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Sherlock said that the campaign’s message is “very simple”.

It’s a simple option that’s on the table for people on 25 May. It’s either protect mothers and babies on the one hand, or introduce abortion on demand on the other hand.

“The only way to prevent abortion on demand coming in is to vote no,” Sherlock said.

Both the Save the 8th campaign, the main campaign calling for a No vote,and Together For Yes, the main campaign seeking a Yes vote, were launched last month.

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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:21 AM

    Interesting idea. Not sure if the scobes here would have enough ‘work ethic’ to actually work to buy drugs – much easier to rob.

    124
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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:03 AM

    You patronising idiot Frederick.
    You sit on your high horse and presume to know the ‘work ethic’ of all heroin addicts – they are people – individuals – all different. Your attitude is part of the problem

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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:45 PM

    Dave, when’s the last time you seen a junkie working? Me neither.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:16 PM

    Junkies have to go to their methadone clinics during the day, so they can’t work days. They’re such wasters.

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    Mute Richard Sweeney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Nice to see a pragmatic approach for a change

    95
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    Mute Sean Hyland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:26 AM

    No to prohibition and let addicts get help from charities set up with tax breaks for businesses. Keep the state out if it and make sure same charities are set up by volunteers with no pay off overheads. Ie people who care.

    18
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:26 AM

    I like it when people get creative and aren’t afraid to try something different because whats in place isn’t working.

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    Mute Lar Cooney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    You would need the army to stop junkies robbing houses and anything else up In Dublin. Make drugs available for these people. Put real criminals out of business. I haven’t seen a Garda on foot in my area since the recession began. Bad enough a family has to deal with a drug addict then for him to be cast straight into low level crime. I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like Address the issue. What we are doing now is not working.

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    Mute R
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Actually fascinating. A good idea if it works definitely.

    46
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    Mute joe power
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:53 AM

    Why do people giv a f#@k about these scobies.you break the law you go to jail simples

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    Mute Scoby Watson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    Did someone say my name?

    78
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:32 AM

    Who are you? Ross O’Carroll Kelly? “Scobes” is not a word.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:34 AM
    24
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:50 AM

    It may well be a word but the urban dictionary “kinda isn’t” the place to prove it.

    I’m not a grammer Nazi I just think that Scobes is a silly term that snobs(you’ll find that in a real dictionary) use to describe poor people.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:29 PM

    It’s a colloquialism. You probably won’t find it in the Oxford English Dictionary, but it has been in general use for years. I think it refers to the more anti-social types, not poor people. It has been largely replaced by the term ‘Chav’.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:40 AM

    Interesting idea. Can you imagine a tac head trying to sell you a magazine on Abbey street? You’d run a mile.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:42 AM

    With that attitude you would

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:51 AM

    If you have sense you would.

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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    But wouldn’t it be better than them running off with your iPhone? Personally, I’d admire a drug addict who opted to sell the magazine, rather than commit crime to feed their habit.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    No you wouldn’t. Knowing that buying a magazine may prevent a mugging, theft or shoplift is all the incentive you need. They are human beings selling magazines what’s the issue?

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:23 PM

    How about instead of having a habit you stop being a drain on society and yourself. Point is they are people with an illness who I personally don’t want to be associated with.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:28 PM

    Heroin is recognised by the world health organisation as a disease and should be treated as such. Until the government realises this it’s up to voluntary organisations and volunteers to help and this magazine is a great idea.

    You stick to your stigma but remember our current way of dealing with this problem excluding the addict from society does not work.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:58 PM

    The WHO recognises the diseases which can be developed from heroin use as diseases. Nothing about the actual drug. I will continue my belief that they should be allowed to use drugs as the freely wish, however they are fools for doing so, as are all drug and drink users who believe in living in societies care when they can’t handle something they choose to use.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:02 PM

    So you are in favour of continuous criminalisation or not? Last comment was contradictory to others

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:06 PM

    De criminalisation without support. How is that contradictory?

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:08 PM

    The point of decriminalisation is to take a medical approach instead of a criminal one meaning you clearly have no idea what your on about. Decriminalisation without support is like criminalisation without enforcement

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:12 PM

    That’s your view of de criminalisation. Mine is that you are not arrested for drug use. After that you’re on your own.

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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:48 PM

    Birch, don’t bother with them. They probably think that said heroin so be given to the junkies at the tax payers expence.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:53 PM

    I know, they seem to love suckling off the tax payers teat.

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    Mute paddydunne
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:19 AM

    I think cocaine and heroin should be legalised. That would take the power away from the criminals, coupled with more power for the people. Stand your ground law. This would have a huage impact on our society for good.

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    Mute Trevor croft
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:52 PM

    ˙uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɹɐ sǝʌıן sǝuo pǝʌoן ɹnoʎ puɐ ǝɟıן ɹnoʎ ʇı ʍouʞ noʎ ǝɹoɟǝq
    ‘spıʞ bunoʎ ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥʇ uǝɥʍ sʇɔıppɐ uıoɹǝɥ ǝɯoɔǝq oʇ ǝsooɥɔ ʇ,uop ǝןdoǝd

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    Mute Dave Dson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:54 PM

    You can get a cream for that, clear you up in no time.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:18 PM

    Very clever! But.. People DO choose to become heroin addicts.

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    Mute SSDP Ireland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:38 PM

    This is a public health issue.

    We need schools not prisons.

    http://www.ssdp.org/ireland

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    Mute Jim
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:39 AM

    That’s heavy Tac!

    6
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