Image copyright RTÉ Image caption The country's abortion laws are some of the strictest in Europe

Tens of thousands of people have marched through Dublin to demand change to the Republic of Ireland's abortion laws.

The March for Choice is the first major demonstration since the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar said he wanted to hold a referendum on abortion next year.

The country's abortion laws are some of the strictest in Europe.

Terminations are only allowed when the mother's life is in danger.

The Eighth Amendment of the Irish constitution, introduced in 1983, gives an equal right to life to a pregnant woman and an unborn child.

However, thousands of women a year go abroad to have an abortion. The maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion in Ireland is 14 years in prison.

Campaigners gathered at Parnell Square in the city on Saturday afternoon.

Image copyright RTÉ Image caption A parliamentary body has been established to advise on the wording for the referendum

They made their way through the city to the gates of the Irish parliament.

Anti-abortion activists staged counter events in the city and across Ireland to warn against relaxation of the current law.

A pro-choice rally was also staged outside the Irish embassy in London on Saturday, with campaigners highlighting the numbers of Irish women who have travelled to the UK for an abortion in the last three decades.

The Irish government has set up a parliamentary body to advise on the wording for the referendum.

The Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution is considering a report from Judge Mary Laffoy, who chaired a specially-designed Citizens Assembly of 99 people who deliberated and voted on the issue.

The assembly called for the Eighth Amendment to be replaced or amended.

It said it should be replaced by a provision which placed the onus on politicians to pass laws on termination of pregnancy, rights of the unborn and pregnant women's rights.</s>Tens of thousands of people have marched through Dublin to demand change to the Republic of Ireland's abortion laws.

The March for Choice is the first major demonstration since the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar, indicated his intention to hold a referendum on abortion next Summer.

The country's abortion laws are some of the strictest in Europe.

Terminations are only allowed when the mother's life is in danger.
• Abortion in Ireland: The fight for choice

The Eighth Amendment of the Irish constitution, introduced in 1983, gives an equal right to life to a pregnant woman and an unborn child.

However, thousands of women a year go abroad to have an abortion. The maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion in Ireland is 14 years in prison.

Campaigners gathered at Parnell Square in the city on Saturday afternoon.

They made their way through Dublin's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.

Chanting and waving placards, demonstrators then marched along the River Liffey past the landmark Custom House before crossing the water on their way to the gates of the Irish parliament.

Anti-abortion activists staged counter events in the city and across Ireland to warn against relaxation of the current law.

A pro-choice rally was also staged outside the Irish Embassy in London on Saturday, with campaigners highlighting the numbers of Irish women who have travelled to Britain for an abortion in the last three decades.

A parliamentary body has been established to advise on the wording for the referendum.

The Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution is considering a report from Judge Mary Laffoy, who chaired a specially-designed Citizens Assembly of 99 people who deliberated and voted on the issue.

The assembly called for article 40.3.3, which was altered under the Eighth Amendment, to be removed from the Constitution.

It said it should be replaced by a provision which placed the onus on politicians to pass laws on termination of pregnancy, rights of the unborn and pregnant women's rights.</s>Demonstrators hold posters as they march for more liberal Irish abortion laws, in Dublin, Ireland September 30, 2017. — Reuters picDUBLIN, Oct 1 — Thousands of demonstrators marched in Dublin yesterday in favour of liberalising Ireland's tight abortion laws ahead of a planned referendum on the fiercely-debated issue.

Protesters chanted, "My body, my choice" and waved placards reading "Not the church, not the state: women should decide their fate", as they headed through the capital towards the parliament.

Linda Kavanagh, a spokeswoman from the Abortion Rights Campaign which organised the rally, told AFP:

"The message today is 'time to act' because we've waited for a long time for a change.

"We want full repeal. We can't support exceptions and only a hundred people allowed to get access to abortion."

Keishia Taylor, a spokeswoman for the organisation ROSA (For Reproductive Rights), told AFP: "I think today is going to be a huge turnout, a turning point."

Campaigners were expecting 30,000 to attend, but the police declined to give a crowd estimate.

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland and in 1983 an eighth amendment was added to the constitution after a referendum, giving equal rights to the life of the unborn child and the mother.

The law was changed three decades later to allow terminations when the mother's life is at risk, following public outrage at the death of a pregnant woman in 2012 who was refused an abortion.

In the face of mounting public pressure, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Tuesday announced plans for a referendum on the issue to be held in May or June 2018, ahead of a visit by Pope Francis in August.

Ireland is still deeply divided over the issue.

A recent poll by Ipsos/MRBI found 67 per cent of respondents were opposed to abortion in general but that 76 per cent were in favour of legalising it cases of rape.

Varadkar, who trained as a doctor, has called the current laws "too restrictive".

Varadkar has said he would support abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities but is not supporting wider liberalisation.

Thousands of Irish women currently travel abroad for abortions every year, mainly to England.

A "March for Choice" took place in London outside the Irish embassy on Saturday.

The upcoming vote has rallied those on both sides of the debate, including activists seeking to keep the current legislation in place.

In central Dublin, a small number of activists opposed to abortion handed out leaflets on Saturday, something they intend to do every week from now on.

"The country is very polarised at the moment, so what we try to do now is to reach people on the fence, who haven't made up their minds yet," said organiser Alan Keena.

The Irish government has already sought to gauge public opinion, setting up a Citizens' Assembly which between November and April debated the eighth amendment.

Summing up their discussions, a majority of the 99 members recommended legalising abortion in a wide range of circumstances.

A parliamentary committee has also been examining the abortion law, but on both sides of the debate there is mistrust of officials' approach.

"The wording of the referendum will have a large bearing on the outcome and my instinct is that there will be compromise, there has to be, because there are 22 people from all sides on that committee," said Anna McKenna, 66, a retired teacher on yesterday's march.

Although the pro-abortion camp reacted positively to the referendum announcement, there is suspicion that MPs continue to be heavily influenced by the church in the mainly Catholic country.

Unlike the referendum which saw Ireland vote in favour of same-sex marriage in May 2015, no politicians have yet taken a strong position calling for greater abortion access.

Irish media has reacted similarly, reluctant to take a bold stance on an issue which has divided Irish society. — AFP</s>DUBLIN - Thousands of demonstrators marched in Dublin on Saturday in favour of liberalising Ireland's tight abortion laws ahead of a planned referendum on the fiercely-debated issue.

Protesters chanted, "My body, my choice" and waved placards reading "Not the church, not the state, women should decide their fate" as they headed through the capital towards the parliament. Linda Kavanagh, a spokeswoman from the Abortion Rights Campaign which organised the rally, told AFP: "The message today is 'time to act' because we've waited for a long time for a change.

"We want full repeal. We can't support exceptions and only a hundred people allowed to get access to abortion."

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland and in 1983 an eighth amendment was added to the constitution after a referendum, giving equal rights to the life of the unborn child and the mother.

The law was changed three decades later to allow terminations when the mother's life is at risk, following public outrage at the death of a pregnant woman in 2012 who was refused an abortion.

In the face of mounting public pressure, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Tuesday announced plans for a referendum on the issue to be held in May or June 2018, ahead of a visit by Pope Francis in August.

As the rally began, Keishia Taylor, a spokeswoman for the organisation ROSA (For Reproductive Rights, Against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity), told AFP: "I think today is gonna be a huge turnout, a turning point. Ireland is still deeply divided over abortion.

A recent poll by Ipsos/MRBI found 67 percent of respondents were opposed to abortion in general but that 76 percent were in favour of legalising it cases of rape. Varadkar, who trained as a doctor, has called the current laws "too restrictive".

Varadkar has said he would support abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities but is not supporting wider liberalisation.

Thousands of Irish women currently travel abroad for abortions every year, mainly to England.

A "March for Choice" took place in London outside the Irish embassy on Saturday.

The upcoming vote has rallied those on both sides of the debate, including activists seeking to keep the current legislation in place, who have said they will be leafleting in cities across Ireland.

"We have every reason to be proud of the eighth amendment which has saved tens of thousands of lives and has prevented the horrific human rights violations that abortion has caused in so many other countries," said Cora Sherlock, spokeswoman for the Pro-Life Campaign.

The Irish government has already sought to gauge public opinion, setting up a Citizens' Assembly which between November and April debated the eighth amendment.

Summing up their discussions, a majority of the 99 members recommended legalising abortion in a wide range of circumstances.

A parliamentary committee has also been examining the abortion law, but on both sides of the debate there is mistrust of officials' approach.

"I'm willing to bet that 90 percent of this country have never actually watched an abortion, the real graphic truth," said Tim Jackson, a marketing consultant who has demanded MPs watch footage of a termination.

In support of his cause, Jackson completed a 10-day hunger strike on Wednesday.

Although the pro-abortion camp reacted positively to the referendum announcement, there is suspicion that MPs continue to be heavily influenced by the church in the mainly Catholic country.

Unlike the referendum which saw Ireland vote in favour of same-sex marriage in May 2015, no politicians have yet taken a strong position calling for greater abortion access.

Irish media has reacted similarly, reluctant to take a bold stance on an issue which has divided Irish society.</s>Thousands of people protested in Dublin, calling for an end to Ireland’s strict abortion laws.

Campaigners took part in the March for Choice in the capital’s city centre, chanting: “Hey, hey Leo, the eighth amendment has got to go” and carrying banners which read: “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries” and “Parent by choice for choice”.

This year’s march, the sixth in a series of annual events, was more significant than ever given the recent confirmation there will be a referendum on abortion next year.

The government recently set a potential timescale of early summer 2018 for a referendum on the eighth amendment, the section of Ireland’s constitution imposing tight legal restrictions on terminations.

The amendment, which was voted into the constitution by referendum in 1983, affords equal rights to unborn babies and pregnant women and gives foetuses the right to life by law.

Terminations are only permitted when the life of the mother is at risk, and the maximum penalty for having an illegal abortion in Ireland is 14 years in prison. Thousands of Irish women travel to the British mainland each year to have a legal termination.

Campaigners gathered at the Garden of Remembrance at lunchtime, making their way down the city’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street. They marched along the river Liffey and past the landmark Custom House before reaching the Irish parliament.

Among those speaking at the end of the march in Merrion Square were the civil rights leader and former politician Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, comedian and actor Tara Flynn, British Labour MP Stella Creasy, and poet and LGBT activist Matt Kennedy.

Anti-abortion activists staged counter-events in Dublin and across Ireland calling for the eighth amendment to be preserved, indicating protests from both sides are likely to intensify in the lead-up to the referendum.

A pro-choice rally was staged outside the Irish embassy in London on Saturday, with campaigners highlighting the numbers of Irish women who have travelled to Britain for an abortion in the last three decades.

A few hundred demonstrators gathered outside the embassy, chanting: “34 years since ’83, stop sending women across the sea” and holding placards which read: “Healthcare not Ryanair” and “Irish women deserve better”.

The campaigners also attempted to make more than 205,700 white chalk marks on the pavement to represent the number of women who have travelled to mainland Britain from both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland since 1983 to access a safe abortion.

Maeve O’Reilly, from the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, said: “These journeys, which are often taken in silence and are very stigmatised and shameful in the eyes of our government, we wanted to make them visible by making these physical marks on the pavement here today.”

She said campaigners were encouraged by recent polls which she said have shown that “most Irish people want to see a liberalisation of Irish abortion laws.”

She added: “We’re really confident that the Irish public will engage with this issue, will have a good debate and people will begin to see that abortion is already happening. It’s just not happening in Ireland.

“And the time has come to kind of wake up to that and do better for our women and offer this care at home, rather than exiling them to other countries.”</s>Dublin: Thousands of people staged a massive protest in Dublin, calling for an end to Ireland's strict abortion laws, the media reported.

Campaigners took part in the March for Choice in the capital's city centre on Saturday, chanting: "Hey, hey Leo (Prime Minister Leo Varadkar), the eighth amendment has got to go" and carrying banners which read: "Keep your rosaries off my ovaries" and "Parent by choice for choice", reports the Guardian.

This year's march, the sixth in a series of annual events, was more significant than ever given the latest confirmation that there will be a referendum on abortion next year.

The Irish government recently set a potential timescale of early 2018 for the referendum on the eighth amendment, the section of Ireland's constitution imposing tight legal restrictions on terminations.

The amendment, which was voted into the constitution by referendum in 1983, affords equal rights to unborn babies and pregnant women and gives foetuses the right to life by law, the Guardian reported.

Terminations are only permitted when the life of the mother is at risk, and the maximum penalty for having an illegal abortion in Ireland is 14 years in prison.

Thousands of Irish women travel to the British mainland each year to have a legal termination.

Anti-abortion activists staged counter events in the city and across Ireland to warn against relaxation of the current law, reports the BBC.

A pro-choice rally was also staged outside the Irish embassy in London on Saturday, with campaigners highlighting the numbers of Irish women who have travelled to the UK for an abortion in the last three decades.</s>Thousands of people are marching through Dublin demanding change to Ireland’s strict abortion laws.

The March for Choice is the first major demonstration since the Government set an indicative timescale of early summer 2018 for a referendum on the section of the state’s constitution that ensures tight legal restrictions on terminations.

Campaigners gathered at Parnell Square from lunchtime before making their way down the city’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street.

Chanting and waving placards, demonstrators then marched along the River Liffey past the landmark Custom House before crossing the water on their way to the gates of the Irish parliament.

Anti-abortion activists staged counter events in the city and across Ireland to warn against relaxation of the current law.

The existing Eighth Amendment of Ireland’s constitution affords equal rights to pregnant women and unborn children. Added to the constitution in 1983, the amendment recognises an unborn child’s right to life.

Terminations are currently only permitted when the life of the mother is at risk and the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion in Ireland is 14 years in prison.

Thousands of Irish women travel to Great Britain every year to have a legal abortion.

With the prospect of a referendum having been on the horizon for some time, pro-choice and anti-abortion advocates have already been long campaigning on the emotive issue.

Those efforts are intensifying now a timeframe has been set for the vote.

The march in Dublin is the first big set-piece since Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced on Tuesday that a referendum will likely be called in May or June next year.

A pro-choice rally was also staged outside the Irish Embassy in London on Saturday, with campaigners highlighting the numbers of Irish women who have travelled to Britain for an abortion in the last three decades.

A parliamentary body has been established to advise on the wording for the referendum.

The Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution is considering a report from Judge Mary Laffoy, who chaired a specially-designed Citizens Assembly of 99 people who deliberated and voted on the issue.

The assembly called for article 40.3.3, which was altered under the Eighth Amendment, to be removed from the Constitution.

It said it should be replaced by a provision which placed the onus on politicians to pass laws on termination of pregnancy, rights of the unborn and pregnant women’s rights.</s>DUBLIN (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people marched in Dublin on Saturday to demand the loosening of some of the strictest abortion laws in the world ahead of a 2018 referendum on the issue.</s>Tens of thousands of people have marched through Dublin demanding change to Ireland's strict abortion laws.

The annual March for Choice was the first major demonstration on the abortion issue since the Government set an indicative timescale of early summer 2018 for a referendum on the section of the state's constitution that ensures tight legal restrictions on terminations.

Organisers estimated that 40,000 people took part in Saturday's march.

Campaigners gathered at Parnell Square from lunchtime before making their way down the city's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street. It took 45 minutes for the parade to pass the street's landmark Spire monument.

Chanting, singing and waving placards, demonstrators then marched along the River Liffey past the historic Custom House before crossing the water on their way towards the Irish parliament.

A number of speakers then addressed huge crowds at Merrion Square.

Anti-abortion activists staged smaller scale events elsewhere in Dublin and in other cities across Ireland but, unlike previous years, there was no evidence of direct counter-protests on the route of the march.</s>Thousands of people have been marching in Dublin to protest Ireland's strict abortion laws. The March for Choice happened in the capital's city center, with thousands chanting to repeal the 8th amendment (that bans the procedure) and holding signs that said things like, "Parent by choice for choice," and "Keep your rosaries off my ovaries."

The march was significant given recent confirmation that there will be a referendum on abortion next year, meaning the government will be revisiting the strict laws currently in place. Though abortion laws have always been strict in Ireland (in large part due to the historical influence of the Catholic Church over the country), the eighth amendment brought things to a new level by affording equal rights to the unborn and pregnant women in 1983. Abortion is only allowed in Ireland when a woman's life is at risk, and the maximum penalty for an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison, according to The Guardian.

Thousands of women travel each year from Ireland (and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and also has strict abortion laws) to Britain to obtain abortions. Protestors began to make more than 205,700 white chalk marks on the pavement to represent the journeys women have made to receive abortion services outside of the island of Ireland.

Maeve O'Reilly, from the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, said,"These journeys, which are often taken in silence and are very stigmatized and shameful in the eyes of our government, we wanted to make them visible by making these physical marks on the pavement here today."



She added that she and other protestors were encouraged by recent polls which show that "most Irish people want to see a liberalization of Irish abortion laws."

She continued, "We're really confident that the Irish public will engage with this issue, will have a good debate and people will begin to see that abortion is already happening. It's just not happening in Ireland. And the time has come to kind of wake up to that and do better for our women and offer this care at home, rather than exiling them to other countries."
Tens of thousands of protesters march through Dublin to demand Ireland to change its abortion laws, and anti-abortion activists stage counter-demonstrations. A pro-choice rally is held outside the Irish embassy in London.