Dublin on Tuesday 28 November.
shining on a summer afternoon.
It has been an offence for anyone to buy, sell or advocate the use of contraceptives in the South of Ireland since 1935. The activists from CAP (Contraception Action Programme) wno nave openca me snop m Dublin face a possible fine of tosix months.
Although the law forbidding the actual use of contraceptives was recently ruled unconstitutional by an Irish court, the state authorities continue to harass and intimidate those who try to distribute devices.
LOOPHOLE In two police and customs at Dundalk in July SWOUDS and Dublin in September £10,000 worth of contraceptives were confiscated.
The decision to open the shop occause imminent introduction of legiswhich Is expected to further tighten the law.
At present family planning clinics can exploit loophole - they don't actually sell the devices and pills, but give them away free and then ask customers for a "donation.
Even this limited availability has been challenged by wnat Ann Speed of CAP described as uRe small minority of right-wing HYPOCRISY Ann, who works in a family planning clinic, explained to Socialist Challenge: We want to expose the hypocrisy of the show the growing demand for contraception, and the government removing one scrores nicHons or anonIersCi CONTRACEPTIVES were sold openly in a shop in Such an event in London, Paris, Berlin or any other European capital would be as newsworthy as the sun But in Dublin it hit the headlines. The reason is that the open sale was illegal, reports GEOFF BELL.
of restrictions"
The fear of CAP is that the Fianna Fail government will introduce legislation restricting contraception people. In this they would be reflecting Une recent statement complained: RESTRICTION 'The present situanon indeed unsatistactory. ceptives can be without legal restriction. They can now be obtained in many places, by young unmarried people.' Referring to the evils' of freely available contraception, the bishops went on: *Societies in ception has been acccoco ana wael usco nave experienced lowering the standards in sexual morality 'Marital infidelity creased. The stability of family life has been weakened. A whole new attitude towards legal Are anons nas developed. Promiscuity has tended InCrease.
DEMAND But figures produced by the Irish Family Planning Association show that the demand for contraception is expressed by all age groups and by both married and single people.
Of those who
nearly 50 per cent weresingle, 11 per cent were aged 19 or under. and another 40 per cent were from 20 to 24 vears old "In this sense', Speed, 'any restrictive legislation would not only be an attack on democranc rights, it would be a specific attack on youth who are to the married Contraimported 'genuine generally of has insexual fore in calling for contraception."
Majority
avalabity nas been snown Dy a number of opinion polls, while the demand for the facilities provided by the reflected in the increase in their callers" last visited two Such backing stand is part of a growing fight by Irish women for more rights.
A recent survey carried out by a French magazine revealed that women are more discriminated says Ann against in the South of Ireland than and women's European country The most dramatic response to this was Dublin's anti-rape support for full The challenge so tar.
clinics is Whether CAP's joined.
South of Ireland.
other West TCLUESE For sale at:
Street, Dublin 2. demonstragon m sevember. i which 10,000 women took part.
opening the contraceptive shop presents the government with its most direc Fianna Fail falls into line with public opinion or more attention to the Catholic hierarchy, the fight for women's rights in the South of Irelana nas been well and tral WARNING to all readers in the CONTRACEPTIVES UNLIMITED•