Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A.

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Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A. are a feminist-activist performance group based in London. The focus of their activism is abortion rights in Ireland, and their work built on action by the Irish Women's Abortion Support Group (IWASG) who supported women travelling to England for abortions from 1980 to 2000. [1] The acronym I.M.E.L.D.A. stands for Ireland Making England the Legal Destination for Abortion. [2] The group was formed in 2014 by Treasa O'Brien and Helena Walsh. [3] Their work is a form of art intervention, and direct action. They made a series of interventions as part of the campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland, which in 1983 legislated that the unborn foetus has equal rights to life as the mother. [4] The amendment to legalise abortion was put to a referendum on 25 May 2018 [5] and approved by 66.4% of voters. [6] Their performance interventions and use of social media have gathered widespread media attention. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Membership

Founded by Treasa O'Brien and Helena Walsh in 2014, members of the group, and participants in direct actions include: Sarah Cantwell, Sorcha Fhionntain, Tina McCloskey, Cristina Rios, Ann Rossiter, [11] Lynne McCarthy, Marian Larragy, Tina Ní Bhloscaidh and Anna Carnegie. [12]

Key works

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References

  1. ↑ "Across the Water: Irish Women's Abortion Support Group". Feminist Review. 29 (1): 64–71. May 1988. doi:10.1057/fr.1988.24. ISSN   0141-7789. S2CID   189905500.
  2. ↑ "(England) Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A. (Speaking of Ireland Making England the Legal Destination for Abortion)". Women Help Women. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  3. ↑ Chan, Suzanna (2019-01-02). "Speaking of silence, speaking of art, abortion and Ireland". Irish Studies Review. 27 (1): 73–93. doi:10.1080/09670882.2018.1560892. ISSN   0967-0882. S2CID   149490648.
  4. ↑ Kenny, David (2018). "Abortion, the Irish Constitution, and constitutional change". Revista de Investigações Constitucionais. 5 (3): 257–275. doi: 10.5380/rinc.v5i3.60967 . S2CID   149842323.
  5. ↑ Finn, Christina (2018-03-28). "Referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment to be held on Friday 25 May". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  6. ↑ Henley, Jon (2018-05-26). "Irish abortion referendum: yes wins with 66.4% – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  7. ↑ "Eighth Amendment may be gone but mindset that gave rise to it persists". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  8. ↑ Dazed (2018-05-23). "Performing repeal: how comedians are tackling Ireland's abortion vote". Dazed. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  9. ↑ Binns, Katie. "The secret network that helped women secure safe abortions". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  10. ↑ Duffy, Deirdre. "What the new global pro-choice movements can teach politics". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  11. ↑ Walsh, Helena (March 2020). "Hanging Our Knickers Up: Asserting Autonomy and Cross-Border Solidarity in the #RepealThe8th Campaign". Feminist Review. 124 (1): 144–151. doi: 10.1177/0141778919894950 . ISSN   0141-7789. S2CID   216519616.
  12. ↑ Speaking of I. M.E.L.D.A ( Helena Walsh, Ann Rossiter; Mccarthy, L. (2019-05-16), Kinna, R.; Gordon, U. (eds.), A Radical Feminist Diaspora: Speaking of IMELDA, reproductive justice and Ireland, Routledge, ISBN   978-1-138-66542-2 , retrieved 2023-03-16
  13. ↑ Fletcher, Ruth (March 2020). "Cheeky Witnessing". Feminist Review. 124 (1): 124–141. doi: 10.1177/0141778919896342 . ISSN   0141-7789. S2CID   220317901.
  14. ↑ The Quiet Woman? , retrieved 2023-03-17
  15. ↑ Walsh, Helena (March 2020). "Hanging Our Knickers Up: Asserting Autonomy and Cross-Border Solidarity in the #RepealThe8th Campaign". Feminist Review. 124 (1): 144–151. doi: 10.1177/0141778919894950 . ISSN   0141-7789. S2CID   216519616.
  16. ↑ "Women's right group slap knickers up on Taoiseach's plate at FG fundraiser in London hotel". independent. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  17. ↑ Barry, Aoife (2014-12-21). "Pro-choice activists tie pair of giant red knickers to Dáil gates". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  18. ↑ "Knickers for Choice". imelda. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  19. ↑ "St. Patriarch's Day, London". imelda. Retrieved 2023-03-17.

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