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Pro Choice protest in memory of Savita Halappanavar in November. Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

Pro life and pro choice abortion demos go head-to-head today

The two marches will be held at Merrion Square at 4.30pm in Dublin city centre.

TWO ABORTION MARCHES will be held at Merrion Square at 4.30pm today in Dublin city centre.

The Unite for Life group organised their ‘Vigil for Life’ protest first, and a group called  ‘Unlike Youth Defence, I trust women to decide their lives for themselves’ decided to hold a silent, counter demonstration.

A Unite for Life spokesperson told TheJournal.ie they expect a crowd “upwards of 30,000 today,” showing a “real indication of how people feel in Irish society about abortion and legislation”.

On the other hand, Sarah Malone, spokesperson for the Irish Choice Network say they expect a much smaller turnout of around 400 people because they “don’t have Americans with huge funds paying for buses to take people from towns and counties all around Ireland to the protest”.

Malone explained to TheJournal.ie why they were holding a demonstration today:

We are standing up for women like Sheila Hodgers, Savita Halappanavar, Michelle Harte and many other women women who we don’t know about. We need to protect pregnant women. They have rights too.

“Tempers and emotions tend to run very high during marches, so we decided to stay silent. We’re not really interested in having an adversarial march,” she added.

The pro-life group spokesperson said they didn’t have a problem with a counter protest because “it is a democracy and everybody has a right to have their say”. However, Malone questioned whether any democracy truly existed within the groups because they were calling on the government to reverse including ‘a risk of suicide’ in the legislation, which was voted for already in two separate referendums.

Why are they going against what the Irish people have already voted for twice? It is offensive and outrageous.

A Youth Defense Protest in November. (Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

The pro-life spokesperson said they had “no problem” with the government providing legislation for “clarity purposes” for doctors but did not support any legislation that would pave the way for abortion. They argued:

It  [abortion] is not needed. We have a big problem with the issue of suicide being included in any legislation. Abortion isn’t the cure for suicide, psychiatric health is.

No one has come out and said that Savita died because she didn’t get an abortion. Not even her husband said it. Only those jumping on that fact are the abortion lobby and the media.

The pro-choice group have decided to meet at Merrion Square West, outside the National Gallery and just down the street from the pro-life group.

Read: Pro Choice group plans to counter protest Pro Life demo >

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207 Comments
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    Mute De Wit
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:04 PM

    Russia tried to warn the west they were backing the wrong horse, they didn’t listen…

    87
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    Mute amos brearly
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:10 PM

    And what is the UN doing? Nothing, just like they watched Yugoslavia go into meltdown.

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    Mute William Boyd
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    Jan 2nd 2015, 2:11 AM

    When a religion is involved particularly Islam, evil will out, even simple brain movements are swamped by brainwashing

    5
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    Mute Bertie
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:17 PM

    All because the USA armed, trained and funded rebels who wanted to overthrow the democratically elected government. Good old Murikka.

    56
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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:54 PM

    Whatever else about the clusterfvck that is present-day Syria, don’t be under the illusion that Assad was ever democratically elected.

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    Mute x
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:05 PM

    Democratically elected? Assad has been in power for 15 years and his father 29 years before that both winning rigged/unopposed elections

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    Mute Ben Murphy
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:09 PM

    That was his point.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:12 PM

    Ben, open elections haven’t been held in Syria for over 40 years. All candidates in any so-called elections have to be pre-approved by the regime – hardly what anyone would call democratic.

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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:20 PM

    Bertie, would you like to talk about the uprising that assads father brutally put down in 1982? This is the same situation over again.

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:25 PM

    Avina Laaf_ Assad ( like Saddam Hussein) protected vulnerable ancient Christian settlements from US backed head hackers.

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:28 PM

    Re Avina

    Brush up on your history. Elections were held recently enough in Syria. I believe it was over a year ago at this stage.

    Also, don’t forget NATO’s own polls a few months back put support for Assad at at least 70% of the population and even up to 85/90%.

    Syria could not have fought off the proxy invasion of its country by Saudi Arabia/Qatar/Turkey/UK/France/US etc without the full support of its population, which it has had. It was very telling early in the conflict and middle that whenever the ‘rebels’ entered an area and took it over the civilian population fled en masse. Whenever the ‘rebels’ were defeated the civilian population returned.

    Besides, we cannot talk of democracy and elections. On the ladder of democracies, ours surely must be on the bottom. Elections every couple of years, very low vote turnout and then our elected representatives go off and give their full support to the likes of the FSA at the start of the Syrian invasion. The FSA has said from the outset that Syria would become an Islamic state with Sharia law if it ever succeeded with its invasion. I do not want my dim-witted elected representatives supporting the likes of that.

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:31 PM

    Re Declan.

    You haven’t a leg to stand on. You fervently support the US on nearly every issue yet how many democratically ejected governments has the US toppled because they didn’t suit it’s geopolitical desires. The answer. Countless. Give William Blum a read.

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:34 PM

    Bassar Al Assad must be commended for single handily taking on the evil proxy terrorist forces of the West.

    http://s10.postimg.org/sw3ji1zmh/assad_1.jpg

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:37 PM

    Re Frank

    I agree. He is a modern day hero to the people of Syria. I admire his stern belief on his duty to protect his country.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:37 PM

    Frank, would you like to comment on Saddam Hussein’s treatment of the Kurds or the Marsh Arabs? Or maybe Assad senior’s treatment of the civilians of Hama?

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:44 PM

    Horgay, funnily enough civilians tend to flee conflict zones whenever possible, and return when peace returns – nothing odd or telling about that. Regular journal readers will know you have your own take on events in Syria (to which you’re perfectly entitled of course). Most others who have been following this conflict from the very early stages (before your loathed ‘mainstream media’ even began to take an interest in fact) realise that the reality is much more complex than your version however.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:49 PM

    Horgay, please tell me how indiscriminately dropping barrel bombs on built-up areas packed full of innocent civilians is ‘protecting’ his people? The fact that you find these sorts of actions worthy of admiration is nauseating.

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:52 PM

    Avina Laaf_ The combined slaughter caused on the Kurds. Marsh Arabs and Civilians of Hama would dwarf that of what the United States has caused in the Middle East.

    What makes matters more unbearable is that these ongoing atrocities are carried out by proxy terrorists armed and trained by the US. Example would be those schoolchildren blasted to pieces last October by “moderate” rebels.

    This shows up the true yellow bellied nature of the United States Government,

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 1st 2015, 9:00 PM

    Even if what you say is true Frank, surely you can’t say that one justifies the other, or in your mind are christian lives worth more than other lives??

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 9:03 PM

    Re Avina

    I have been commenting on the Syrian conflict since its inception, but under a different guise. And I tell you what, the majority of what I said was ridiculed by you and others when I said the West was arming and training foreign Islamic jihadists in Turkey and sending them into Syria to cause mayhem and destabilise the country.

    You have gotten Syria competition wrong. I guess it hurts when the recent ex US Ambassador to Turkey mucks up and says exactly that.

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    Mute Kustin J Crush
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    Jan 1st 2015, 9:40 PM

    @ Horgay/Frank…. sure Aasad is a lovely chappie, take some more of the meds . ( and no! Some of the other mob are as bad if not worse!…… mind you you won’t hear much condemnation from our chatting classes (no Israelis involved, don’t you know!!!!)

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 1st 2015, 10:37 PM

    Kustin J Crush_ At least Bassar Assad doesn’t cheer lead a nation that slaughters 500+ defenseless children.

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    Mute KeiKe
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:41 PM

    The representations of the UN in the Team America movie….still pretty accurate

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:15 PM

    The article is a fine piece of propaganda and a further attempt to frame the narrative of the story.

    For all those out there who do not follow world affairs then you need to know the following.

    The conflict did not give rise to Islamic groups, Islamic groups were sent into Syria from Turkey from the outset after being armed and trained by the West there. They then proceeded to attack Syrian state forces and begun an ethnic cleansing of areas they began to control, eliminating thousands upon thousands of Christians and other groups. They proceeded to wreck civilian infrastructure, cut communications and killed government employees from postmen to nurses en masse. This was all done with the full knowledge of the moral West. Innocent civilians would not get in the way if geopolitical goals. The ‘uprising’ ( http://thebricspost.com/an-eyewitness-to-the-syrian-rebellion-father-frans-in-his-own-words/#.VKWqYnanw0M) began a few days after a gas pipe deal was signed which was not favourable to Qatar.

    Don’t let the media in the West frame your views on world affairs. We, in the West, have a lot of blood on our hands. We elect these maniac, evil politicians who have let these crimes be committed.

    The summary of the Syrian conflict cannot be whitewashed. The media has covered up the meddlings of the West so many times from Rwanda to Iraq to Libya to, now Ukraine and Syria.

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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:21 PM

    Horgay, no blood on my hands! Don’t think that you speak for anyone but your deluded self.

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    Mute Horgay H
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    Jan 1st 2015, 8:35 PM

    Re Declan

    If you have voted for either the Democrats or Republicans then I am afraid there is. And plenty of it. They are two sides of the same coin, giving the illusion of choice.

    The foreign policy if the US has been directly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of innocent mem, women and children. This cannot be dispute by any sane person. It still does. Look at the Congo, look at what the US help perpetrate in Rwanda with the genocide there that was the result of American meddling.

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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Jan 1st 2015, 10:31 PM

    Ah there’s Deco again, defending the indefensible.

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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Jan 1st 2015, 10:37 PM

    Petr, can you please tell me what I’m defending? How did you get “defending the indefensible” from my comment? Or are you taking my quote that I have used on Horgay? This is the guy who has defended dictators around the world. Surely you have noticed that. Or are you in bed with the likes of Horgay, Frank and others?

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    Mute Frank
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    Jan 1st 2015, 11:06 PM

    Declan Noonan_ You are very confused of who you defend.

    Yesterday you admitted that you don’t support Syrian Moderate Rebels.

    Yet the regime that you constantly defend openly supports moderate Syrian Rebels.

    8
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    Mute Charles Mcdonald
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:43 PM

    Almost 9 an hour.

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    Mute Charles Mcdonald
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:47 PM

    Or look at it this way by the time you read the article and comment there is another woman raped strangled or hanged. Maybe another man shot in face or head hacked off.

    I’m sure the Un will issue another very strongly worded letter and maybe have a meeting about having a meeting

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    Mute Wasna Matkaw
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:52 PM

    Let them get on with it.

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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Jan 1st 2015, 9:47 PM

    A disgusting comment.

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    Mute Charles Mcdonald
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    Jan 1st 2015, 10:29 PM

    Truely horrible. Of this 9 an hour how many are children? I don’t know but I really don’t think 9 soldiers or militants. Talking about innocent men women and children. There was a video few weeks ago I think was on here showing a girl being condemned to stoning by her father. Another months ago of garroting women. Truely vile. Now let’s not be silly it’s not all assad there is war crimes on both sides.

    Arming moderates well who dedides who is a moderate ?? Throwing arms at these people invites trouble. If people rise up and it’s a good cause fine give them a fighting chance but not if their cause involves evil extremists

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    Mute Windom Earle
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    Jan 1st 2015, 7:28 PM

    Not 200,000 as they reported past time

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