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Title: Bigots send for sherrif Author: Louise Tierney Date: 1993 Language: en Topics: Ireland, abortion, student unions, Workers Solidarity Source: Retrieved on 13th October 2021 from http://struggle.ws/ws93/spuc40.html Notes: Published in Workers Solidarity No. 40 — Autumn 1993.
THE FIGHT between SPUC and the student unions over the provision of
abortion information has entered a new phase. SPUC’s solicitors, are now
seeking costs from the student unions for the earlier stages of the
case. This is despite the fact that the legal case is ongoing. In fact
this is the first time in the history of the Irish state that one party
has been awarded legal costs over the other while the case is still
being disputed. Talk about impartiality!
What this means is that SPUC will be able to use this money to fight the
later stages of the case, as well as providing resources for its other
anti-choice agendas, while the student unions will be left stuck for
cash if not financially insolvent. All this for fighting for a woman’s
right to choose.
The sheriff has been called in to collect the amount involved, ÂŁ29,000.
At the time of writing he has sent several final notices and even made
appointments to collect the money. The last one of these was on August
30^(th) at the Union of Students of Ireland (USI). Having been given 24
hours notice the students assembled journalists and photographers to
cover the story. That morning USI received a phone call asking if they
had any assets of value in their office. When they replied that they had
not the sheriff said he wasn’t coming.
This would seem to indicate a reluctance on the part of the state
authorities to test the public climate. Nonetheless the students
response to all of this has unfortunately been quite weak. Given the
current weakness of the student movement it is possible that they will
decide to pay the money involved. In the absence of a large campaign of
support, not to pay the money would inevitably mean the loss of the
student unions through the legal liquidation process.
However they have not decided to fight in any meaningful political
manner. The “X” case was successfully fought by spreading the campaign
to as wide a number of people as possible. The students appear to be
concentrating their efforts on raising money through reliable but narrow
channels.
The three student unions involved have combined to set up a student
trust with the sponsorship of noted liberals like Nuala O’Faolain and
David Norris. While these individuals can be quite good at raising money
within certain sectors, e.g. university lecturers, they do not see any
necessarily to spread the political campaign to the widest number of
people.
With many trade unions supporting a woman’s right to information,
arguably the most effective way to do this is to work on trade union
involvement. This can be done by providing a model motion for union
meetings, putting posters on union noticeboards pledging support to the
students, asking union executives to distribute information packs to
members. In this way political support and money can be raised to
support the students and to solidify support for a woman’s right to
information when the government brings in its legislation next year.
After all a majority of the country’s population voted for a woman’s
right to have information and to utilise that information by travelling
abroad for an abortion in last November’s referendum. SPUC is seeking to
penalise organisations for fighting for these rights. The courts are
unlikely to be responsive to polite liberal appeals, having imposed the
costs in the first place. More recently they refused to lift the
injunction on the Well Woman Centre and Open Door Counselling which
prohibits these organisations from providing information.
The more support the students gather now against this penalty for
providing information, the stronger the pressure will be on the
government to provide a broad framework for the provision of
information.