TG Leader Takes Part In International Panel Discussion Following Release Of 'The 8th' Documentary
Together Gibraltar Leader Marlene Hassan Nahon took part in an international panel discussion on the evening of Thursday 3rd June following the theatrical release of the film ‘The 8th’, a documentary by ‘Together Films’ on the Irish referendum to legalise abortion.
A statement from Together Gibraltar follows below:
The panel also included campaigner and politician Wanda Nowicka from Poland, Irish feminist and LGBTQ activist Ailbhe Smyth, US abortion activist Sonja Spoor and moderated by documentary producer Lucy Kennedy.
Speaking on the panel discussion, Marlene Hassan Nahon said her party was of the view that the referendum should never had been held, and because it was not a Constitutional issue like in Ireland, the Executive would have been able to legislate without a public vote.
However, she said she was the only woman on Opposition benches, and expressed the view that in Gibraltar’s Parliament, women’s rights were poorly represented. She said the ‘anti choice’ campaign had campaigned under the banner of ‘save babies, vote no’, but added that a ‘no’ vote in this referendum would not save any babies because Gibraltarian women would continue to have abortions in a Spanish clinic which she could see from her own window.
Ms Hassan Nahon said the fact that she herself had had four children and would not have an abortion herself did not preclude her from fighting for choice for other women. She was critical of Gibraltar’s male-dominated political and religious hierarchy who had contributed to the local debate and said it was up to women to fight for this right and force the issue forward.
She said Western societies had to move away from religious patriarchy dominating secular law.
The Together Gibraltar Leader said it was important that people turned out to vote at this referendum and expressed concern that the Covid fatigue which had set in during the last year would discourage people from voting.
Ms Hassan Nahon’s campaigning was praised by the rest of the panel who expressed the view that the Yes campaign would be successful at this referendum.
