SOCIAL DEMOCRATS LEADER Holly Cairns has criticised the Government’s plan to hold the ‘women in the home’ referendum on International Women’s Day next year.

She also claimed that if the Government really wanted to do something meaningful for women, they would instead make a commitment to implement the findings of a recent review into abortion services. 

Addressing Tánaiste Micheál Martin during Leaders’ Questions today, Cairns asked if the reason the referendums on care and a women’s place in the home will be held on 8 March is because the government thinks women are “excited” about what she dubbed a “powerless amendment”. 

“Perhaps it makes sense, in one way that these referendums will take place on International Women’s Day, as it will continue a long standing tradition of governments patronising women, rather than listening to them,” she said. 

Cairns pointed out that it has been seven months since the publication of Barrister Marie O’Shea’s abortion services review and asked if the Government will commit to implementing its recommendations.

In her review, O’Shea made a number of recommendations including the decriminalisation of abortion for medical professionals.

While women are decriminalised under the current legislation, it criminalises anyone who assists a pregnant person to obtain an abortion outside of the provisions of the Act – with a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

O’Shea told an Oireachtas committee in October that the risk of criminalisation is having a “chilling effect” on doctors who provide termination services.

She also highlighted that some doctors “actively obstruct” women from receiving treatment due to personal beliefs.

Yesterday, the Dáil heard of a mother who has been told to travel to Liverpool because she cannot access abortion services in Ireland. Her baby has a fatal foetal abnormality at 22 weeks.

Responding to Cairns in the Dáil today, the Tánaiste said he doesn’t think her characterisation of the Government’s position is an accurate one.

He said the subject matter of the referendums is a fundamental debate that shouldn’t be “sneered at or dismissed”.

On the abortion services report recommendations, he said a draft implementation action plan has been developed as well as an implementation group being established. 

“Significant progress is being made in respect of various recommendations in the report, and a significant number of additional sites have introduced termination services in the past months,” he said.

In response, Cairns said the Government “does not need help” from her for the Government to be sometimes characterised as “paternalistic in its treatment of women”.

“And here we go again, we’re supposed to be celebrating because finally it’s going to be removed from the Constitution that a women’s place is in the home, in 2023? And you’re doing it on International Women’s Day like it’s some kind of huge gift to us.”