Reclaiming Abortion Rights hosted by The Abortion Rights Campaign

Katha Pollitt reads from her new book “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights”, followed by a panel discussion.

In 1973, the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade legalised abortion in the United States. Yet forty years later, Pollitt argues “abortion is still a word that is said with outright hostility”. Silence and stigma make the medical procedure so remote and radioactive that it’s removed from the world of the everyday, turning an act that is normal and necessary into something shameful and secretive.

In Ireland both North and South, it is anti-choice rhetoric that has dominated politics for decades now. Despite the fact that bodily autonomy is a basic right, abortion is still stigmatised, the right to access is increasingly restricted, and women and girls who seek abortion services are criminalised in many parts of the world. In “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights”, Pollitt takes on the personhood argument, reaffirms the priority of a woman’s life and health, and discusses why terminating a pregnancy can be a force for good for women, families, and society.

The Abortion Rights Campaign have invited Pollitt to share insights from her new book “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights”, and discuss the relevance of its arguments in an Irish context with guest panellists. The panel will be facilitated by academic, activist and founding member of Alliance for Choice Northern Ireland, Goretti Horgan.

Tickets : €10 (ARC Members/Concessions – donations at the door)