An Irish woman and her friend formed a Twitter account, @TwoWomenTravel, specifically to live-tweet the Irish Prime Minister Edna Kenny about a trip to obtain a legal abortion.
Thousands of women travel from Ireland to England and Wales to get an abortion every year as the procedure is still illegal in their country. In 2015, these figures were estimated at 3,000.
In this case, the woman receiving the abortion and a friend live-tweeted the Irish PM to stress the time commitment, financial burden, and stress the trip had on both her and her friend.
Of the story, the two women wrote:
“We wanted to share the very ordinariness of the situation — we wanted to show it for what it is… We had to travel because our government insists that we pretend this isn’t happening.”
Good morning all .Thanks for all of th messages of solidarity and support.Thanks to@EndaKennyTD we're about to hit the road.#twowomentravel
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 20, 2016
#twowomentravel boarding, it's chilly. @EndaKennyTD pic.twitter.com/mffXYkpI71
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 20, 2016
Unxpectd change of venue.#twowomentravel more thn originally anticipated.Hit us back th taxi fare@EndaKennyTD?Sound pic.twitter.com/LbI76TYBTa
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 20, 2016
In conclusion, #repealthe8th @EndaKennyTD #twowomentravel pic.twitter.com/irRdF7lhK1
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 21, 2016
Now a waiting room,weighted by bated breaths.@EndaKennyTD we could be home by noon in another world. #twowomentravel pic.twitter.com/1Sqytx6pgM
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 20, 2016
Not surprisingly, PM Kenny apparently deleted each of the women’s tweets, as they do not appear in either of the PM’s timelines.
Ireland Is Living In The Dark Ages Of Women’s Rights
Since 1967, around 165,000 women have made this very same trip, and just this year, 3,000 have from Northern Ireland alone. The deeply Catholic country still only allows abortions if a woman’s life is at risk. Many doctors refuse to go through with the procedure for fear of breaking the law.
Even more revoltingly, if a woman falls pregnant after being raped, including by a family member, she is explicitly banned from having an abortion. Women carrying a fetus with life-threatening abnormalities (likely to die in the womb) are also banned from receiving the medical attention they require.
The two women documented their entire trip, which could see them arrested and charged against the strict “right to life” laws passed under the eighth amendment, using the hashtag #Repealthe8th.
Their voyage comes two months after the United Nations Human Rights Committee demanded Ireland reform its abortion laws, deeming them “cruel and inhumane” and in violation of women’s human rights.
Not the first or the last bleeding women about to face a long treck home @EndaKennyTD #twowomentravel pic.twitter.com/08q2CQE3Yw
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 21, 2016
We are nearly home. Thanks to everyone for unreal support – with one glaring exception. @EndaKennyTD #twowomentravel pic.twitter.com/yuqCNUSysJ
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 21, 2016
#twowomentravel @EndaKennyTD pic.twitter.com/yAVtg4w3DV
— Two Women Travel (@TwoWomenTravel) August 21, 2016
Abortion In America
It is still legal in 31 states for rapists to sue for custody of children they father.
In 2013, a Republican state representative from New Mexico attempted to pass a bill that classified abortions in the case of rape ‘tampering with evidence’.
In 2009, a man named Jaime Melendez raped a 14-year-old teen who subsequently fell pregnant. He plead guilty, was convicted, and was forced the pay child support. Then, he demanded custody rights. He manipulated his victim into choosing between the safety of her child, or her ability to support her child. He did this legally.
In a similarly horrendous case, a man named Ariel Castro kidnapped and held women against their will in his home. He fathered a child with one of his victims. With almost 1,000 counts of rape held against him, he still had the legal right to petition the judge to grant him visitation rights.
Featured Image: Screenshot Via Independent Video.