Irene Teap backed repealing the 8th Amendment
In a post on Facebook, Stephen Teap, Carrigaline, Co Cork said Irene, who died in July 2017, was coming to the end of a gruelling chemotherapy session when she had the picture taken.
“As sick as she was, she got out of her bed, slapped on some make-up, made her sign, and took this selfie to show her support to all the other women of Ireland who were looking for change,” said Mr Teap.
“This is just another example of the strong person Irene was. Irene passed away before she ever had a chance to hear that we would, as a country, have an opportunity to cast our vote on this very important topic.”
Stephen said he and Irene had spoken about the Eighth Amendment, and stressed that if Ireland is ever going to achieve a healthcare system that puts women’s safety first then the Eighth Amendment must be repealed.
“Women are having abortions today and will continue to do so after May 25,” he said. “The main difference will be, do we keep on sending our women abroad or can we bring them home? We accepted that early on, which is why this vote, for us, was all about women’s rights. A woman’s right to have full control and the final say on what happens to her body but most importantly be listened to and obeyed. This vote is primarily about extending women’s rights within our healthcare system.”
Mr Teap said the post was not about convincing people on the no side to vote yes.
“There are very strong opinions for and against this referendum,” he said. “I believe that if your opinion is no then you are perfectly entitled to that and casting your vote is what you need to do. I posted this for two reasons. Firstly, to give Irene her voice in this referendum, which was very important to her, and secondly for those that haven’t made their minds up yet and are still on the fence on this to give them a different perspective to think about.”
Ms Teap passed away at the age of 35. She was the mother of two sons, Oscar, aged 5, and Noah, 3.
