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PR: Commission does not speak for Ordinary Women
11.02.1993
The young women in Youth Defence reject the report made by the Second Commission on the Status of Women. The proposals in this report are anti-women and anti-family and are designed to further copperfasten the already privileged position of rich career women like those in the commission.
We utterly reject the call by the commission to legalise abortion in Ireland and deplore the fact that they have no pity, no regard and no thought for the weakest and most dependent of all Irish women - unborn baby girls.
Their proposals on what they call "equality legislation" (ERA etc.) are frightening for young and lower income women who would be forced into manual labour i.e. building sites and roadworks, since under these proposals all women are equal to men and will be sent from FAS courses and dole offices to such jobs. The commission also demands 20 million from the taxpayer to provide childminders for rich career women like themselves. Again, it is we young women who will be forced to take such positions.
Labourers and childminders for rich career women - No thanks!
Hypocritically, the commission also demands the deletion of the Article 41:2:2 from our Constitution which guarantees the right of a mother to rear her own children in her own home. They also show their contempt for homemakers by the notable lack of recommendations for a mothers allowance. We demand that the government recognise that housewives constitute the majority of women in this country and we demand that Art. 41 is left intact for our future protection.
Finally this commission for the status of some women has no right to speak for ALL women. They are an example of a privileged clique who purport to speak for everybody. We demand an equal amount of money on behalf of ordinary women in Ireland. Gemma Husseys comment in the Irish Independent (11/2/93) says it all "Any woman or women's group who can afford it should buy this report". As young Irish women - we can't afford it
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