Bríd Smith: Calls out government over housing, abortion and refuges
Bríd Smith criticised the government in a parliament debate marking International Women's Day, condemning the lifting of the eviction ban and what she described as token measures that leave women exposed. She argued housing is a feminist issue and demanded urgent reform on abortion access, refuge provision and gender equality.
Eviction ban and housing as a feminist issue
The debate followed the government's decision yesterday to lift the eviction ban, which Bríd Smith said creates "misery and fear and stress and pain" for thousands of women. She accused the government of offering token relief - "split your head and give you a plaster" - and highlighted the reduction of domestic leave pay as a further harm.
Abortion access and proposed legislation
Bríd Smith outlined the limitations in post-repeal abortion law, saying 9 of 19 hospitals offer full services and that the statutory three-day waiting period causes unnecessary delay and stress. She noted abortion remains a criminal offence carrying sentences of up to 14 years, cited a 12-week access limit and a 28-day decision limit under the Fatal Fetal Anomaly clause, and said over 700 women have had to travel for care since the legislation. She and her party have introduced the Health Regulation of Termancy of Pregnancy Amendment Bill 2023 and criticised an unacceptable delay in the required legislative review.
Refuge spaces and domestic violence services
She highlighted the shortfall against the Istanbul Convention target of 512 refuge spaces, noting that in 2021 some 62% of refuge requests were turned down for lack of spaces. Bríd Smith referenced local campaigning by Councillor Adrian Wallace St-Carlo for a refuge in a county that currently has none, and said replies to parliamentary questions indicate only 24 refuge spaces planned in 2024 with none in the nine counties without provision. She also described efforts by Councillor Hazel de Norton for a domestic violence liaison officer and criticised the absence of appointments and the reliance on press releases instead of action.
Institutional legacy and social issues
Bríd Smith invoked the history of mother and baby homes and the Magdalene Laundries to argue that institutional and religious influence continues to shape services, citing hospitals where religion still "pulls the strings" including the new National Maternity Hospital. She pointed to the prevalence of Catholic patronage in schools and gaps in relationships and sexual education, and linked ongoing inequality to the gender pay gap and the unpaid care work that sustains the economy.
Solidarity and closing
She concluded by demanding immediate action - "Women cannot wait" - and offered solidarity to women internationally, specifically naming the women of Iran.
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What I find fascinating is that this debate marking International Women's Day is taking place in a parliament dominated, for me anyway, and I would say for most people here, by a decision taken yesterday by the government to basically say to women, I will split your head and give you a plaster. Yesterday we lifted the eviction ban and today we say solidarity with sisters on International Women's Day. I just think that they have no idea on the other side of the house the sort of misery and fear and stress and pain that that creates for thousands of women. Housing is a feminist issue, but it is not the only challenge that women in this country face. There is so much unfinished business and women should no longer have to wait. As one of our colleagues just mentioned, the reduction of the domestic leave pay is another stain on the record of this government and another indication of splitting the head. We are giving a plaster. We still have restricted access to abortion and a lot less rights to abortion than we fought for in repeal. Nine out of 19 hospitals offer full abortion services, the rest do not. The post-repeal legislation requires that people seeking abortion go through a three-day waiting period which is insulting, causes unnecessary delay and stress. We still have abortion as a criminal offence carrying in a census of up to 14 years. There is a 12-week limit on access to abortion and a 28-day limit on a decision for a doctor to carry out an abortion based on the Fatal Fetal Anomaly Clause. This has meant that since the legislation was introduced post-repeal, over 700 women have had to travel to access abortion care. We and people before profit have put a bill before the House, the Health Regulation of Termancy of Pregnancy Amendment Bill 2023. There has been an unacceptable delay in the production of the review on the legislation, which is required by legislation to have taken place within three years. That bill will address all of those issues. One year after Aisling Murphy's murder and the worst year for femicide in this country, we are still no closer to meeting our targets for refuge spaces under the Istanbul Convention, which requires us to have 512 spaces. In 2021, shockingly, 62 per cent of requests for refuge were turned down because there were no spaces. Ireland needs to treble the amount of refuge spaces, and campaigns across the country have attempted to push this government. For example, our Councillor Adrian Wallace St-Carlo has been campaigning for a refuge in that county, one of nine counties without any refuge spaces. Last November, at the Council meeting, he was told that designs are in plan and are progressing. In a recent PQ, Paul Murphy was told by the Minister for Justice that only 24 refuge spaces would be provided in 2024. They have all been delayed, and none of them will be in any of the nine counties that do not have one currently, including Carlow. Despite public commitments given by Helen McEntee in 2022, Carlow will not have any refuge spaces, and Adrian Wallace and her pals will have to take to the streets again. In my constituency, Councillor Hazel de Norton has campaigned for the promise of a domestic violence liaison officer. She has got a motion passed to the City Council, but we still do not have a domestic violence liaison officer appointed to DCC. We are promised funding for research into why there is such a high level of domestic violence in places like Cherry Orchard. Honestly, Minister, we do not want any more press releases, and we do not want any more promises. Women cannot wait. We need action now. The oppression of Irish women, of course, goes much back to the pervasive role of the Catholic Church in this country in collusion with the State. The cruel enslavement of women in the mother and baby homes and the Magdalene Laundries are testament to that. But we still have hospitals where religion still pulls the strings, including the new National Maternity Hospital. And 90 per cent of our Catholic schools still have Catholic patronage. Many of them do not provide the required relationships and sexual education. I think that is a huge issue we have to look at. There is the gender pay gap, and we all know that this system globally gets women to do the work on the cheap, that provides the next generation of workers, looks after all the care in the family home, and it means that the system of capitalism can continue to gouge for profit. I want to say, finally, solidarity to women everywhere, especially to the women of Iran. Thank you.
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