Women’s Rights
Repeal the Eighth Amendment
The Workers’ Party recognises that women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices. This is fundamental to any reasonable concept of gender equality in order to achieve full political, social, and economic equality with men.
The Workers’ Party rejects the paternalistic attitude that regards women as second class citizens incapable of making their own decisions. The Workers’ Party supports a full programme of secular sex education for schools, free access to contraception, proper health and social care for pregnant women, the provision of appropriate free and quality child care facilities and adequate support for single and low income parents.
The Workers’ Party believes in a woman’s right to choose and supports the provision of free and safe abortion in Ireland which will include practical facilities to support women seeking an abortion and quality post-abortion care.
In line with these objectives, the Workers’ Party is committed to:
- A referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, followed by
- Legislation providing free and full access to abortion and post-abortion care.
- Repeal of the 8th Amendment will be a red line issue in the programme of the next Government.
End Violence against Women
The Workers’ Party calls for the implementation without delay of the Action Plan outlined by Frances Fitzgerald on 5th November 2015 when she welcomed the signing of the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and demands the immediate Ratification of the Convention .
The Workers’ Party advocates as a priority the putting in place of the 5 Achievable Goals set down by SAFE Ireland in 2014 which include:
- Amend, develop and enact housing legislation as a matter of urgency to address the many barriers to safe accommodation currently experienced by victims of domestic violence.
- Increase the emergency accommodation capacity of domestic violence services.
- Ring-fence budgets.
- Ratify the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
- Establish a high-level cabinet committee on domestic violence and ensure that this committee is briefed in full by SAFE Ireland and its members.
