Repeal

We make the abortion issue in Ireland visible by supporting the Abortion Rights Campaign & Together For Yes through outerwear

The Repeal Project is outerwear that is not only a fashion statement but a statement for the basic human rights of Irish women. We all know how clothes say a lot about the person wearing them, and we want to make sure everyone can hear us talk. What started as a statement of solidarity for women affected by the notorious ban of abortion in Ireland, continues as a stigma buster to open a conversation, not only on abortion but female rights in general, as well as a supportive mechanism for volunteer-run organizations that have been of tremendous help to women in need. 

Our initiative seeks to vindicate women’s rights by reflecting, respecting, and representing the need and want for free safe and legal access to abortion in Ireland, education on female health problems, and prevention of stigmatization and prejudice women face because of their decisions. We firmly believe female health is not the next best online casino to gamble with, nor is maternity another no deposit bonus to be claimed in our name, without even asking. Repeal sweatshirts are a powerful form of silent protest, and we dare to say it is the final time to break the silence and speak up. 

Despite being a member of the European Union, the Republic of Ireland was marginalizing half of its population, and silenced experiences of women for decades, while encouraging stigmatization and inaccessibility of some basic medical procedures every woman should be entitled to. Instead of proper medical care and psychological support, women in Ireland faced hurt, shame, stigma, and barbaric onslaught for making their own decisions of their own bodies. Since the 1980s, more than 160,000 Irish female citizens have travelled abroad to get access to abortion. 

On 20 December 2018, Ireland finally legalized abortion, but that doesn’t mean Repeal Project is done, and there are no other walls of silence to be demolished. Most of them have been built for years, and it will take years to tear them apart. As an a-political outerwear initiative, we sought to give female issues more visibility, and encourage women to come forward sharing their stories. Repeal is more than just a sweatshirt and continues to be a much-needed fundraising mechanism for organizations oriented towards women in need. Todays’ policies still leave a lot of room for the mistreatment of women, starting with migrant women, working-class and unemployed women, young girls as well as women with disabilities, and mothers of children with disabilities. 

But this time, women will speak up and not become new casinos 2021 as our grandmothers did. As law-abiding, tax-paying citizens, we can no longer tolerate mistreatment, discrimination, prejudice, or ignorance of any kind, nor we will allow anyone else to make decisions instead of us. It’s not our fault, and it is not our grandmothers’ fault that we are suppressed. It’s those that have refused to engage with the reality that is to be blamed.