Forget garish 90s-inspired blouses, colourful embroidered bombers and disconcertingly mirrored shades. This summer’s must-have is a plain black sweatshirt with the word “REPEAL” emblazoned across the chest in white. Founded by former Trinity College Dublin student Anna Cosgrave, the REPEAL project is “outwear to give a voice to a hidden problem”. Jumpers cost €25 and proceeds from every sale will go to the Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland, a movement which aims to promote broad national support for a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment to the Constitution by the Irish Parliament. Currently, under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013, abortions are permitted only if there is a “real and substantive” threat to the pregnant woman’s life. ARC also works to push for the introduction of extensive abortion legislation by the Northern Ireland Assembly and wishes to ensure the health and rights of women in pregnancy are protected in line with international human rights standards. The jumpers are printed and manufactured by The T-Shirt Company, an ethical firm based in North Strand, Dublin.

The project, which is managed by a small team of volunteers, has achieved enormous success in a very short time. Jumpers have been available to purchase on repeal.ie since June 30^th and at the time of writing this article, sales have been temporarily frozen due to overwhelming demand. A pop-up event at minimalist boutique Indigo & Cloth, planned to run from July 1^st-3^rd, had completely sold out by the second day. A second pop-up at Longitude Festival, July 15^th-17^th, also sold out.

Speaking to TN2 Magazine, Owner and Managing Director of Indigo & Cloth, Garrett Pitcher, expresses his happiness to be involved with the project. It is a matter of personal importance to him and his wife, both of whom have many friends who have been affected by the issue. Pitcher’s belief is simple: “everyone has the right to have a choice. There are many factors that may play a part and it’s not for someone else to decide such an important issue in someone’s life”. He affirms his respect for differing opinions and sees the REPEAL project as raising awareness and debate about an issue which affects everybody.

The REPEAL project has also been making waves on social media. Its official Instagram account, @repealproject, has gone from having less than 700 followers in mid-June to well over 4,000 at the time of writing in July. The page features portraits of supporters wearing their jumpers, with a caption detailing their reasons for being pro-choice. One such supporter is 2015/6 Communications and Marketing Officer at Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union, Aifric NíChríodáin (pictured above). Speaking to TN2 Magazine, NíChríodáin, who also works as Youth Educator and facilitator at ShoutOut, explains that she sees the jumper as “a sign of strength and solidarity on an issue we’ve been scared to talk about for too long”. She explains that “Ireland has covered up the grievances committed against women for hundreds of years. The REPEAL project puts the conversation front and centre”. It offers both a “challenge” to those who refuse to engage with the issue but also “a show of support to those who need it”.

Other supporters featured on the page include former Head of the Department of Sociology at Trinity and co-founder of the Trinity Immigration Initiative, Ronit Lentin, Irish Times journalist Una Mullally, BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, writer and director of Fr Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd Graham Linehan, bassist with Overhead the Albatross Joe Panama, DJ and model Vogue Williams, Queen of Ireland director Conor Horgan, author of Asking For It and Only Ever Yours Louise O’Neill and singer-songwriter Roisin Murphy.

Public opinion seems generally favourable to repeal, if only in limited circumstances. According to an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll published on July 8^th, 67% of voters would be “in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution to allow for abortion in cases of rape and fatal foetal abnormalities”. This is consistent with a previous poll in February which found that 64% were in favour of repealing the 8th, with another 11% having no opinion.

There has also been international pressure to repeal. In July 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Committee called on the Government to “revise its legislation on abortion, including its Constitution” in accordance with international human rights law. In June of this year, The UN’s Human Rights Committee again called on the Irish government to reform its restrictive abortion legislation, finding that, in the case of Amanda Jane Mellet v Ireland, it subjected a woman to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and violated her human rights. This was a landmark ruling as it marks the first time that an international human rights committee has recognised that the state’s decision to criminalise abortion is a violation of human rights. Executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O’Gorman, called on the government to “act promptly” and change the Constitution in order to allow the reforms required by the ruling.

Such an overwhelmingly positive response to the REPEAL range in local and social media might let us forget, just for a moment, what a contentious issue this is. However the fight is far from over. The most recent attempt at reform, a Bill to allow for abortions in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, was defeated in the Dáil on July 7th. Just this morning, Maser’s “Repeal the 8^th” mural was taken down from the exterior wall of the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar, because of complaints and a warning from the DCC Planning Department instructing them to remove it. The mere fact that a mural, which was not explicit or aggressive in nature, could cause such a ruckus is a sign that open support for repeal is still seen as highly controversial. In this context, the proud, defiant style of the REPEAL jumpers is not just suitable, but necessary.

The work of activists like Cosgrave remains important in pushing forward for change, and the REPEAL Project is far from slowing down. On Wednesday 27^th July, in collaboration with ChoiceBox, it will present an evening of spoken word and music, hosted by Tara Flynn. Unsurprisingly, given the REPEAL Project’s stellar record, the event has already sold out. The will of the people seems clear. It remains to be seen whether or not the government will listen and take action.

Find out more at http://www.repeal.ie/