February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — An international media scrum that descended on Dublin in the expectation of confrontation following the arrival of Dutch campaigners on a ship equipped for abortions ensured huge publicity for the visit.
The much-heralded arrival of the converted trawler "Aurora" attracted news crews from the top U.S. TV networks as well as reporters from most Continental countries. But there were few pro-life protests and coverage in the Irish media was muted.
Pre-visit publicity had suggested the Women on Waves crew would be given bulletproof vests and pregnant Irish women would be brought out beyond the 12-mile territorial limit to be given the abortion pill in international waters.
After the ship docked, however, the organizers said complications with Dutch law and the shortness of the visit meant there would be no abortion either surgically in the fully equipped theater on board or with the abortion pill.
Women on Waves (Ireland) spokeswoman Ivana Bacik, a law professor in TCD, claimed that the organization had been "inundated" with telephone calls from women seeking the service of the ship since they advertised a helpline number.
Never miss an issue of The Irish Echo
Subscribe to one of our great value packages.
"We had hoped the Dutch crew on the ship would be able to offer the abortion pill," Bacik said. "It was never our intention to offer surgical abortion."
She said issues that had arisen in Dutch law meant it would not be possible to offer either.
"We have the most restrictive legal regime in the EU," she said. "We want to highlight with the ship’s visit the hypocrisy of our present law whereby we are exporting over 6,000 women a year to England to avail of a service they can’t get here in Ireland."
Prof-Life Campaign spokeswoman Geraldine Martin described the ship’s visit as a "publicity stunt" that was using women already frightened and alone because of crisis pregnancies.
"I think it is unfortunate that a group like Women on Waves would use women in that situation to achieve publicity," she said.
Security guards prevented one protester from getting abroad, a woman on the quay protested loudly, and a boat with the banner "Life," organized by the Irish branch of Human Life International also made its protest.
Over the next two weeks the Aurora plans to offer counseling and contraception advice while in Dublin and subsequently on a visit to Cork.
Bishop Michael Cox of the breakaway Catholic Latin Tridentine church plans to confront the "Aurora" in his own trawler, "Little Bishop," when it visits Cork.
However, he said the protest will be peaceful and called for an "armada of ships" to support him.