Guest blog from one of our fantastic fundraisers, Jonny Murray
‘Limey’ is an old term Americans have for English people. It refers to British sailors having limes and lime juice in their rations to prevent scurvy. This phrase can be traced back to around 1850 , 10 years before the Offences Against a Persons Act , which provides the basis for the law on abortions in Northern Ireland.
American’s don’t really call English people ‘Limeys’ any more. It’s considered a somewhat outdated term. Northern Ireland still criminalises abortions though, even when the foetus is but the size of a lime .
This law has caused a great deal of harm to pregnant people in Northern Ireland, there are no shortages of horror stories and tragedies in this small province that are a direct result of it. There is a great injustice in the law and politicians and policy makers here do not seem to want to change it, and this is why I am running the Belfast marathon in aide of Alliance for Choice
I have been attending ‘Rally for Choice’ events for the past couple of years and have written to my MP on numerous occasions to legislate for reproductive health care in Northern Ireland, but it is Alliance for Choice who are making a tangible difference in the fight for the right to body autonomy.
The continued injustices faced by pregnant people in Northern Ireland is a primary cause of why I chose Alliance for Choice as my charity.
Having to watch women defend and debate their right to decide what they can do with their own bodies to people who see them on the same level as Wayne Williams or Robert Black made me realise that there is no debate. You cannot reason with someone who sees you as a killer of babies, and so all Alliance for Choice can do is provide assistance and support to the women and pregnant people who need them.
They are working with policy makers in Westminster, collaborating with influential celebrities, businesses and politicians to raise awareness of the arcane laws that shackle women in Northern Ireland. They have successfully put pressure on the Government to pass legislation that will decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland, albeit with the caveat that we must continue without a devolved Government until after October.
The fact that human rights had to be used as a threat to speed up negotiations between our own politicians is the reason that we still need Alliance for Choice to continue the fight, and I’m happy that in some small way I can contribute to their war chest.
All donations are most welcome and greatly appreciated: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Jonny/