Those Ads...

Morag · 20-06-2012 11:37am #1

I wasn't going to put YD name in a thread title.

The ads have been rolled out on bill boards and soon to be on trams and trains.
They unfortunately are not under the remit of the ASAI, if they were they would break 10 of the standards.

But if you wish to lodge a complaint, you can do directly with the company which too the contract for them.
jcdecaux is the company,this is how to contact them and lodge a complaint http://www.jcdecaux.ie/get-in-touch/ if you need help drafting a letter there is one here for inspiration. http://www.twitlonger.com/show/hu367f

coco_lola · 20-06-2012 12:05pm

What ads?

Morag · 20-06-2012 12:07pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/18/anti-abortion-adverts-posters-billboards-ireland_n_1605316.html

Raven_Melody · 20-06-2012 12:15pm

Sharrow wrote: »

I wasn't going to put YD name in a thread title.

The ads have been rolled out on bill boards and soon to be on trams and trains.
They unfortunately are not under the remit of the ASAI, if they were they would break 10 of the standards.

But if you wish to lodge a complaint, you can do directly with the company which too the contract for them.
jcdecaux is the company,this is how to contact them and lodge a complaint http://www.jcdecaux.ie/get-in-touch/ if you need help drafting a letter there is one here for inspiration. http://www.twitlonger.com/show/hu367f

I'll do that for sure. Thanks Sharrow.

analucija · 20-06-2012 12:38pm

God, what nut jobs do come up with this stuff? The posters are actually well done and there is a bigger issue that should be addressed. There seems to be no political will in the country to actually deal with the abortion issue, despite EU court judgements and all the suffering some people have to go through. And those bastards can make posters, intimidate women in the help clinics and get away with it.

Anyway I sent the letter.

eviltwin · 20-06-2012 2:19pm

Those ads really bother me, abortion is illegal so what exactly is the point of them? I think it just serves to make women feel like crap and make us even more stigmatised than we already are :mad:

Morag · 20-06-2012 2:36pm

Taken from the Action on X facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/actiononx2012

This is a great opportunity to let YOUR public representatives know that you SUPPORT a woman's right to choose. Tell them campaigns such as this *do not* speak for you, your family or your loved ones, and that you anticipate legislation on X as soon as the Dail reconvenes this September:

Find your representative here: http://www.kildarestreet.com/tds/

See a fantastic sample email from Sinead, below, who has given us this idea:

Hi Ivana,

I'm getting in touch about the Youth Defence billboard campaign currently underway; I'm sure you're familiar, as a recap, there are two posters being run, one with a photo of a young woman, and one with a photo of a foetus at 18+ weeks, both with the caption "Abortion tears her life apart". I consider this, in both instances, constitutes false advertising and misrepresentation of abortion in the vast majority of cases; 89% of abortions take place before 13 weeks (at embryo, not foetus stage http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_075697) and 95% of Irish women who have had an abortion consider that the outcome was the right thing to do (http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/pub/cou.pdf).

Essentially I feel that in such gross misrepresentations of the norm of abortion for Irish women Youth Defence is engaging in deeply misleading advertising and as the ASAI are saying on their website it's outside their remit, I'm asking you to consider applying to the High Court for an order prohibiting the publication of this campaign. Ireland is finally making a very limited amount of progress on abortion and it's too important an issue to allow factually incorrect materials to muddy the waters in such an emotive and manipulative way.

Thanks and regards,

Sinéad Redmond

panda100 · 20-06-2012 6:26pm

analucija wrote: »

There seems to be no political will in the country to actually deal with the abortion issue, despite EU court judgements and all the suffering some people have to go through.

I wouldn't say there is no political will. The United Left Alliance, and Clare Daly, Mick Wallace and Joan Collins in particular, have been very vocal about this issue. Unfortunately, Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail td's are so worried about alienating potential voters, that they ave no interest in actually addressing this issue.

I just can't get over how much money YD must be rolling in to fund this camapign. It must have cost thousands!Their posters are literally everywhere. The RC church still has a lot of money in this country

eviltwin · 20-06-2012 7:09pm

panda100 wrote: »

I wouldn't say there is no political will. The United Left Alliance, and Clare Daly, Mick Wallace and Joan Collins in particular, have been very vocal about this issue. Unfortunately, Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail td's are so worried about alienating potential voters, that they ave no interest in actually addressing this issue.

I just can't get over how much money YD must be rolling in to fund this camapign. It must have cost thousands!Their posters are literally everywhere. The RC church still has a lot of money in this country

Who funds them does anyone know? I can only imagine the cost of putting those ads up, must be crazy money. If they care so much about the state of mind of women who have abortions they should put their money where their mouths are and use it to help women in trauma rather than use scare tactics.

wendydoll · 21-06-2012 11:57am

I am very pro-choice, but if i was in the situation of needing an abortion and seen these posters, I probably guilt myself into keeping the baby. How dare these people belittle women in these terrible situations? Do they ever think outside the box and realise some people need to have abortions for medical reasons, I will never forget that poor lady of Ray D'arcy show a couple of months ago

And they capture a younger woman in the picture, even though a larger number of middle aged women are considering abortions due the economic times.

Maybe they should run a campaign with a woman that decided to keep a baby she didn't want or could afford and now is living on the bread-line depressed.

Morag · 21-06-2012 1:02pm

The campaign is costing 1/4 of a million.
The money is coming from Human Life International which is an evangelical organization,
mostly based in American. Yes right win american christians are giving money to interfere with
the legislative and democratic process of government in our country.

Polloloca · 21-06-2012 1:24pm

Don't see anything wrong with those ads, to be honest.

martinedwards · 21-06-2012 1:30pm

I wouldn't be complaining.

Honey-ec · 21-06-2012 1:44pm

I love this:

"Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute, who are co-sponsoring the nationwide campaign with Youth Defence, said the posters were inspired by a woman who had had an abortion.

"She told me that she felt her life was torn apart by the abortion, and that her baby's life was torn apart as well. I thought it was a powerful description of the reality of abortion, which is all too often glossed over in the debate on the issue."

So, one woman has regrets over her abortion and YD decide she speaks for all women and roll out a nationwide campaign designed to stigmatise anyone who's had an abortion?

Mail sent to JC Decaux and I've contacted all five TDs in my constituency.

Fluorescence · 21-06-2012 2:14pm

Sharrow wrote: »

The campaign is costing 1/4 of a million.
The money is coming from Human Life International which is an evangelical organization,
mostly based in American. Yes right win american christians are giving money to interfere with
the legislative and democratic process of government in our country.

How are the ads interfering with Irish politics?? Messing with human emotions and moral compasses, sure, but "the legislative and democratic process", nope. Don't see it.

The ads are an absolute disgrace though. They make me so angry, they really do.

eviltwin · 21-06-2012 3:16pm

Honey-ec wrote: »

I love this:

"Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute, who are co-sponsoring the nationwide campaign with Youth Defence, said the posters were inspired by a woman who had had an abortion.

"She told me that she felt her life was torn apart by the abortion, and that her baby's life was torn apart as well. I thought it was a powerful description of the reality of abortion, which is all too often glossed over in the debate on the issue."

So, one woman has regrets over her abortion and YD decide she speaks for all women and roll out a nationwide campaign designed to stigmatise anyone who's had an abortion?

Mail sent to JC Decaux and I've contacted all five TDs in my constituency.

She would have been better off using that money to fund decent counselling for women like the one she mentions :mad:

Abortion can be devestating to a woman but studies show thats more likely to be the outcome if its something a woman is coerced into doing or if its a rush decision or done without proper thought.

Of course seeing as how abortion is illegal here and you're making such a big decision based on when you can travel, cost of flights etc how many women really have the time to think it through properly with all that pressure? :mad:

I've no doubt many women are struggling to deal with their abortions, I have met many of them myself but this kind of campaign is going to do nothing to help them move forward and I hate to think a poor woman already in a vulnerable position is going to be scared into continuing with a pregnancy she doesn't want.

I just wish the voices of the women who have had abortions and are okay, women like me who have not fallen to bits and have found a way to move on and live happy lives, could be heard.

But if you think there is a stigma to being a woman who has had an abortion try being a woman who has had an abortion and doesn't regret it.

analucija · 21-06-2012 3:34pm

Funny enough I know a few who had abortions and none of them seems to have any problems with their decision. It might be different cultural background and there are women who regret doing it or have traumas because of it but it seems a lot depends on general societal discourse. A society where right to abortion is accepted as something that is given and the choices women make don't need to be questioned probably has a lot less women living with a feeling of guilt or regretting their decision. Ads like that won't stop people having abortions but they will tell the ones that had them that they should feel guilty about what they have done.

But then again I must admit my respect and tolerance of pro-life groups is very limited or non-existent. As I said maybe is different cultural background. I come from country which is extremely backward about some other issues which seem perfectly normal here. It just seem different countries have different perspectives on some things and I just wish people in general would be afforded a bit more freedom to decide for themselves or live their life as they want.

xzanti · 21-06-2012 5:12pm

Letter sent.

seenitall · 21-06-2012 5:20pm

Fluorescence wrote: »

How are the ads interfering with Irish politics?? Messing with human emotions and moral compasses, sure, but "the legislative and democratic process", nope. Don't see it.

Anything that influences or is meant to influence public opinion on a social matter/policy (especially on this wide a scale), is a political issue. People reading these ads are voters, current and future.

Ilyana · 22-06-2012 5:34pm

No group has the right to make someone feel bad about a private choice they have made or are considering making. YD is a reprehensible group IMO, and these ads ought never to have been displayed.

Abortion is a personal choice and quite frankly I'm tired of the insistence of militant pro-lifers that this choice should be interfered with from any source - media, advertising or legislation.

Kooli · 22-06-2012 5:57pm

analucija wrote: »

Funny enough I know a few who had abortions and none of them seems to have any problems with their decision. It might be different cultural background and there are women who regret doing it or have traumas because of it but it seems a lot depends on general societal discourse. A society where right to abortion is accepted as something that is given and the choices women make don't need to be questioned probably has a lot less women living with a feeling of guilt or regretting their decision.

This. A million times this.

That's why I think even the pro-choice movement in Ireland has a bit of a way to go. Many pro-choicers aren't really THAT comfortable with abortion, which is of course fine. You see it in most abortion debates even in anonymous forums where people feel that if they admit to being pro-choice they always add 'I wouldn't have one myself but...'

So I think even if abortion was made legal here, there would so much in the societal discourse about good abortions vs. bad abortions (good abortions being someone who was raped, bad abortions being someone who is married and already has a kid or may have one in future, and then everything in between)

I would love if the attitude prevailed that you describe - a woman's right to choose is just a given. Not questioned. No conditions on when it's acceptable and when it's not, just a general trust in each woman to make her own decision about what's right for her. No having to answer to ANYONE about it. No having to see a counsellor, nothing.

iguana · 22-06-2012 8:09pm

Letter sent, thanks for the links Sharrow, I was feeling pretty frustrated by the ASAI stance on this. It's good to be able to attempt some sort of action.

23-06-2012 10:12pm

why are these ads not under the remit of the ASAI? can someone explain that to me?

i think they are terrible ads, though not as bad as the pictures that YD sometimes show around Dublin city centre!

will it really make any difference though complaining to the ad company? i mean nobody in the company might agree with these ads but they get paid to put these up so cant see a few complaints making any difference to them!

surely there has to be someone/something else we could complain to?

PrincessLola · 24-06-2012 4:23am

Honey-ec wrote: »

I love this:

"I thought it was a powerful description of the reality of abortion, which is all too often glossed over in the debate on the issue."

Know what else is often glossed over? The realities of motherhood and giving away your baby for adoption after nine months of pregnancy and giving birth.

Ireland is the only 1st world country where abortion is illegal, what more do they want? If it weren't for EU human rights laws they'd ban travelling to get an abortion too.

Nope, they're still not satisfied until they've shamed women with hyperbole.

panda100 · 24-06-2012 10:35am

Seriously gals, why waste your time sending frutiless emails to advertising companies? Have you not all learnt long ago that advertising types really don't like women that much, and have no problem making us feel bad about by ourselves if it means monies to them!

This year we see's the 20th anniversary of the x case. It is shocking that 20 years on, and nothing has changed!Our energies should be focused on pushing for legislation now. That means approaching your td's and making it clear that they can no longer sit on the fence on this one. We can keep on shipping our 'problems' over to England, or TD's for once can do something constructive and finally put this to the people to decide.

Piste · 24-06-2012 3:15pm

I emailed my TDs this email today:

Dear XXXXXX

I'm getting in touch regarding the recent campaign by Youth Defence, which uses billboards and buses to display images of either an ultrasound of a foetus being torn in half, or a woman in distress to promote their message that "Abortion tears her life apart, there is always a better answer". No doubt your attention has been drawn to these advertisements through recent media coverage and their prominence about the city. I wish to lend my voice to the criticism of these ads, as those of us who believe in a woman's right to choose (or indeed those of us that do not support abortion, but realise the danger and harm in these advertisements serving to stigmatise and alienate women who have had an abortion in the past) are not an organised group with extensive funding who can afford to make our voices heard on such a public and national scale as Youth Defence has.

While I believe in free speech and acknowledge Youth Defence's right to publicly display their message even if it is at odds with my own beliefs, I think we have to question at what point does the duty not to cause offence and distress outweigh the right to free speech? I sincerely doubt Dublin City Council or JC Decaux would have allowed such public messages if they were blatantly racist or designed to cause distress to another group of people. These ads do nothing more than attempt to condense what is a difficult and nuanced debate into a pithy, inflammatory message that only serves to contribute to the stigma and shame many women feel after having an abortion. Furthermore, they also grossly misrepresent the true feelings of women in the aftermath of an abortion, as a study by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency found that 95% of Irish women who had had an abortion believed it was the right choice for them.(http://www.crisispregnancy.ie/pub/cou.pdf)

To conclude, while we may not be a homogeneous organisation or have large pools of funding, those of us who believe in a woman's right to choose and that stigmatising and shaming women who have had abortions is extremely counterproductive are a significant number and so I urge you not to be swayed by Youth Defence's empty rhetoric, to realise that these advertisements do not represent the views of the people of Ireland and to bear this in mind this when the government's expert group submits their report for legislating for the X case in the next couple of months. I urge you not to be the seventh successive government not to legislate for this extremely important issue.

Yours Sincerely,

up for anything · 24-06-2012 10:35pm

Kooli wrote: »

This. A million times this.

That's why I think even the pro-choice movement in Ireland has a bit of a way to go. Many pro-choicers aren't really THAT comfortable with abortion, which is of course fine. You see it in most abortion debates even in anonymous forums where people feel that if they admit to being pro-choice they always add 'I wouldn't have one myself but...'

So I think even if abortion was made legal here, there would so much in the societal discourse about good abortions vs. bad abortions (good abortions being someone who was raped, bad abortions being someone who is married and already has a kid or may have one in future, and then everything in between)

I would love if the attitude prevailed that you describe - a woman's right to choose is just a given. Not questioned. No conditions on when it's acceptable and when it's not, just a general trust in each woman to make her own decision about what's right for her. No having to answer to ANYONE about it. No having to see a counsellor, nothing.

Best post I've ever read on any board. You've put into words what I always try to but manage to fail. Thanks.

Ickle Magoo · 24-06-2012 10:59pm

Sorry for the deleted posts and temporary thread closure.

There is a site-banned troll who is mimicking regular posters names and trolling forums.

If you spot a new poster whose name looks familiar but who is posting uncharacteristically inflammatory material - please report for permaban.

Cheers. :cool:

Honey-ec · 25-06-2012 10:41am

bubblypop wrote: »

why are these ads not under the remit of the ASAI? can someone explain that to me?

Because they're not advertising a product or service for sale.

Maple · 25-06-2012 8:09pm

Piste, that was an absolutely fantastic letter to your TD. Well done.

YD sicken me. These ads sicken me. The fact that it's 20 years since the X case and we're still waiting on those fcukwits in the Dail to do something sickens me.

Congratulations, Ireland, you ship your 'problem' abroad but still smugly congratulate yourselves as being such protectors of the unborn child, forcing thousands of women to travel in secrecy and shame.

If you don't want an abortion, don't have one.

These ads disgust me.

Shivers26 · 26-06-2012 12:53pm

I'm not sure if I could ever go through with an abortion but I detest the way women in Ireland are made feel like criminals for making this decision.

It drives me mad when I see teenagers campaigning for YD. What the hell would they know about abortions or having children and making these kind of life altering decisions.

I ended up pregnant at 15 and even made it as far as England but chickened out and had my son at 16. He is 13 now and a great kid. I am married, have a great job and another lovely child but me and him had a hard road at times. What support do YD offer to the women who maybe feel pressured to keep a baby over fear of being victimised if they have an abortion. Is someone from YD going to come and babysit so you can study or work, clean up puke in the middle of the night when your child is sick or pay for expensive school books etc when the kid starts school? I don't think so.

lilmissprincess · 26-06-2012 1:24pm

YD have always disgusted me with their tactics for promotion - the fact that they are allowed to put up posters/hand out leaflets in public areas accessible to all; not just mature adults, is to me something which needs to be examined - images of aborted foetus should not be something a young child is faced with, no parent should have the choice of whether to talk to their five year old about it taken away from them - which is what is done when they hand their leaflets to said five year olds.

This campaign in itself is something which makes my blood boil to be honest. I was born in the same year as the X Case. Lots of legislative change has gone on in that time, in particular anything to do with taxation really - yet the criminalisation of women for making a personal choice is still ongoing, and those supposedly in charge of putting this legislation in (for the most part) will never be faced with that choice.

eviltwin · 26-06-2012 1:58pm

lilmissprincess wrote: »

YD have always disgusted me with their tactics for promotion - the fact that they are allowed to put up posters/hand out leaflets in public areas accessible to all; not just mature adults, is to me something which needs to be examined - images of aborted foetus should not be something a young child is faced with, no parent should have the choice of whether to talk to their five year old about it taken away from them - which is what is done when they hand their leaflets to said five year olds.

This campaign in itself is something which makes my blood boil to be honest. I was born in the same year as the X Case. Lots of legislative change has gone on in that time, in particular anything to do with taxation really - yet the criminalisation of women for making a personal choice is still ongoing, and those supposedly in charge of putting this legislation in (for the most part) will never be faced with that choice.

Just to clarify having an abortion is not a crime in this country, its a crime to provide an abortion ie if you are a doctor and you carry out an abortion but the woman herself will not be charged or even questioned.

What really annoys me is YD talk about wanting to look after the woman and all this crap but don't even have a phone number on the ad or website for women who are in need of help and support. Kinda makes it hard to take them seriously.

panda100 · 26-06-2012 7:35pm

lilmissprincess wrote: »

images of aborted foetus

I highly doubt any of the pictures used by YD are of abortion foetus. Abortions are very,very rarely carried out after 20 weeks and all the foetus's featured in YD campaigns are well passed the 20 week stage.
They use images of foetus's that are well developed, and so are most likely to be pictures of still born and miscarried babies.It really is absolutely heinous that they use these pictures at all.

iguana · 26-06-2012 9:44pm

panda100 wrote: »

I highly doubt any of the pictures used by YD are of abortion foetus. Abortions are very,very rarely carried out after 20 weeks and all the foetus's featured in YD campaigns are well passed the 20 week stage.
They use images of foetus's that are well developed, and so are most likely to be pictures of still born and miscarried babies.It really is absolutely heinous that they use these pictures at all.

Yup, I've talked to a few doctors about this and they have all said something along the same lines. The pictures are always most likely the results of late miscarriages. A truly horrendous thing for someone who is grieving a miscarriage or stillbirth to be confronted with on a random trip to town.

lilmissprincess · 26-06-2012 10:08pm

Sorry, I think I should have put inverted commas around that. It is what they cite as "aborted foetuses" - which makes it worse, in a way.

Rothmans · 27-06-2012 2:23am

eviltwin wrote: »

Just to clarify having an abortion is not a crime in this country, its a crime to provide an abortion ie if you are a doctor and you carry out an abortion but the woman herself will not be charged or even questioned.

What really annoys me is YD talk about wanting to look after the woman and all this crap but don't even have a phone number on the ad or website for women who are in need of help and support. Kinda makes it hard to take them seriously.

I think you're wrong there. The law which regulates this is s58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, states that it is illegal for a woman to 'procure' a miscarriage, with the punishment being 'to be kept in penal servitude for life'.

Secondly, Irish law views abortion as murder (I'm not saying whether it is or it isn't), which also carries a life sentence, and in such cases she would be deemed to be just as guilty of murder as the principal (the doctor in this case).

Back on topic, I'm no fan of YD and such OTT pro-life organisations, they are too aggressive for my liking, especially protesting outside cases where an abortion is necesarry such as the X case, or the more recent Miss D case.
However, I'm not of the opinion that these adverts have crossed the line between freedom of expression and the public interest.

eviltwin · 27-06-2012 11:29am

Rothmans wrote: »

I think you're wrong there. The law which regulates this is s58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, states that it is illegal for a woman to 'procure' a miscarriage, with the punishment being 'to be kept in penal servitude for life'.

Secondly, Irish law views abortion as murder (I'm not saying whether it is or it isn't), which also carries a life sentence, and in such cases she would be deemed to be just as guilty of murder as the principal (the doctor in this case).

Back on topic, I'm no fan of YD and such OTT pro-life organisations, they are too aggressive for my liking, especially protesting outside cases where an abortion is necesarry such as the X case, or the more recent Miss D case.
However, I'm not of the opinion that these adverts have crossed the line between freedom of expression and the public interest.

I don't want to drag this too far off topic I think its important to clarify that for women who have had abortions or may be thinking and feel scared they may end up in trouble. I was paranoid prior to my own abortion I would be in trouble if it ever got out so looked in to it. I couldn't find any cases of women being charged with anything in relation to having an abortion.

As far as I know no women in my living memory has been treated like a criminal for having an abortion. I remember dealing with an woman who had been left physically damaged after a backstreet abortion who ended up needing a lot of surgery, gardai did question her but to find out who was offering the service, there was no question she herself would be arrested or charged with anything. She was treated with nothing but the upmost sympathy and compassion.

I don't know how you could charge a woman who aborts a baby when women who lose babies late in pregnancy due to violence etc don't get any justice on behalf of their child. I'm sure our statute books are way behind in terms of what we consider acceptable so it doesn't surprise me at all abortion is on a par with murder but I would be shocked to think any woman has ever been prosecuted over it.

Shivers26 · 27-06-2012 12:13pm

eviltwin wrote: »

As far as I know no women in my living memory has been treated like a criminal for having an abortion. I remember dealing with an woman who had been left physically damaged after a backstreet abortion who ended up needing a lot of surgery, gardai did question her but to find out who was offering the service, there was no question she herself would be arrested or charged with anything. She was treated with nothing but the upmost sympathy and compassion.

When I used the expression 'treated like a criminal' or 'made feel like a criminal' I didn't mean by the guards or anything. More just the likes of YD making women feel like the lowest of the low of they make that difficult decision to go through with an abortion.

It's good to hear the woman you know was looked after well in her situation.

Morag · 27-06-2012 12:30pm

For those who may be interested in reading the history of YD, their activities and where they have gotten funding from.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/223658/210532.pdf

Naid23 · 27-06-2012 1:19pm

I have real issue with this campaign, IMO it comes across as if the woman is being forced into having an abortion.

Its a very difficult but PERSONAL decision for any person to make and it should be left to that person to make the choice that is right for them and not to have people like YD making them out to be a bad person.

The ads should not be allowed , there would be a big uproar if there was billboards saying 'Abortion is best' so why are YD allowed to have them plastered all over the place.

Honey-ec · 28-06-2012 10:40am

Joan Collins TD replied to my email on this campaign yesterday. She says a whole lot of nothing, really, but at least she acknowledged and responded to me, which is more than any of the others did:

"Dear Eimear

Thank you for your email. Another member of the United Left Alliance, Clare Daly has raised this matter through parliamentary questions of the relevant departments. As you may know, Clare and I were central to the private members motion on legislating for the X case.

I am firmly pro choice and am deeply worried by campaigns designed to shame women for choices they have made. Thank you for your concern on this issue.

Regards

Joan"

RossPaws · 28-06-2012 7:47pm

I just saw one of these ads today at the omni in Santry and I literally could not believe it.

As well as sending a letter like the original post instructs (I've already done it, thanks so much for the link btw) is there anyone I can contact via phone or e-mail personally to complain, a TD or something? I live in Dublin, but I'm only gone 18 and I've no idea where to begin when it comes to phoning the appropriate people to complain about these things.

Thanks in advance for any answers. I'm so annoyed!

panda100 · 28-06-2012 8:10pm

Honey-ec wrote: »

Joan Collins TD replied to my email on this campaign yesterday. She says a whole lot of nothing, really, but at least she acknowledged and responded to me, which is more than any of the others did:

"Dear Eimear

Thank you for your email. Another member of the United Left Alliance, Clare Daly has raised this matter through parliamentary questions of the relevant departments. As you may know, Clare and I were central to the private members motion on legislating for the X case.

I am firmly pro choice and am deeply worried by campaigns designed to shame women for choices they have made. Thank you for your concern on this issue.

Regards

Joan"

Fair play to Joan. I say you would never ever get response from a Fine Gael, Fine Fail or labour TD stating that they are firmly pro choice.

Morag · 28-06-2012 9:46pm

RossPaws wrote: »

I just saw one of these ads today at the omni in Santry and I literally could not believe it.

As well as sending a letter like the original post instructs (I've already done it, thanks so much for the link btw) is there anyone I can contact via phone or e-mail personally to complain, a TD or something? I live in Dublin, but I'm only gone 18 and I've no idea where to begin when it comes to phoning the appropriate people to complain about these things.

Thanks in advance for any answers. I'm so annoyed!

This link will help you find out who your TDs are.
http://www.kildarestreet.com/tds/

Piste · 28-06-2012 11:15pm

panda100 wrote: »

Fair play to Joan. I say you would never ever get response from a Fine Gael, Fine Fail or labour TD stating that they are firmly pro choice.

Once of my local TDs got back to me, he's Fine Gael and while he didn't say he was pro-choice or pro-life, he said that the posters made him uncomfortable and that scaremongering is unfair as it prevents people from learning the facts.

fatmammycat · 29-06-2012 10:12am

There's an excellent take down of YD in today's Irish Times called "Facts still sacred despite Ireland's spectrum of conflicting views on abortion". Very interesting read if you get a chance to do so.

Honey-ec · 29-06-2012 10:27am

fatmammycat wrote: »

There's an excellent take down of YD in today's Irish Times called "Facts still sacred despite Ireland's spectrum of conflicting views on abortion". Very interesting read if you get a chance to do so.

Excellent, excellent article. I'm sharing this all over the place.

Here's the link, for anyone who'd like to read:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0629/1224318966035.html

Malari · 29-06-2012 11:24am

Very good article. Interesting that they don't even mention the "always" tagline either and focus on the other "tears" assertion.

eviltwin · 29-06-2012 11:33am

Interesting article. Only one problem, they have assessed the existence of PAS on a study of women in Denmark where abortion has been legal since the early 70's. As another poster mentioned when abortion is legal some of the stigma is taken away.

We don't have that, we also have the added stress of having to make a decision and then make travel arrangements, there is very little in the way of pre abortion counselling, its hard to access decent post abortion counselling, when you come home its hard to find other women who will talk about it so you feel very alone.....

I have no doubt PAS does exist, I had it myself but the only reason I had it was because I felt rushed into making a decision based on the time I could take off work, costs of flights etc. I really do believe if abortion had been available here I could have taken my time making the decision, gotten the right support and gone into it with my eyes open. As it was I don't think I really knew if it was the right decision or not.

With a lot of therapy I now know it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets but it caused me a lot of unnecessary heartache I could have avoided if I'd been able to have the abortion here.

Morag · 10-07-2012 4:07pm

Tomorrow evening (July 11th) there's a protest outside Leinster House against those awful Youth Defence ads, starting at 6.30pm.

And this evening the folks behind the Unlike Youth Defence, I trust women to decide their lives for themselves. page are holding a poster-making event, starting at 7pm in Seomra Spraoi.

Those Ads...

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