The Contraceptive Train was a

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countr ...

activism event which took place on 22 May 1971. Members of the

Irish Women's Liberation Movement The Irish Women's Liberation Movement (IWLM) was an alliance of a group of Irish women who were concerned about the sexism within Ireland both socially and legally. They first began after a meeting in Dublin's Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street in 1 ...

(IWLM), in protest against the law prohibiting the importation and sale of contraceptives in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, travelled to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

to purchase

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

The protest

On Saturday, 22 May 1971 the group met at

Connolly Station Connolly station ( ga, Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile) or Dublin Connolly is one of the busiest railway stations in Dublin and Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. On the North side of the River Liffey, it provides InterCi ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

and then travelled to Belfast in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

to purchase contraceptives, which were banned in the Republic of Ireland. The IWLM members were divided about who should go to Belfast. Some members thought that single women should not go because "buying contraception implied they were having sex before marriage." Contraception in the Republic of Ireland had been illegal since 1935 under the 1935 Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, and while contraception was legal in Northern Ireland it was restricted, so the women involved could not get

the pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: progest ...

without a doctor's prescription (even though they tried). The women bought

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of inte ...

s and spermicide jelly, and instead of buying the pill they bought hundreds of packets of aspirin, as they realized that the majority of the Customs officials would not know what the pill would looked like. They were followed by television crews from the United States and Japan, as well as Ireland. On arrival back at Connolly Station, there were protesters demonstrating, waiting for them to arrive. At customs, the women involved loudly declared what they had purchased and refused to hand over the contraceptives. Some women publicly swallowed the aspirin in defiance of the law, pretending that they were the pill. Others waved the contraceptives in the air as the passed through the station. Women who were involved with the Contraceptive Train put themselves at risk of being detained or prosecuted for bringing birth control into Ireland. They also risked

social stigma Social stigma is the disapproval of, or discrimination against, an individual or group based on perceived characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. Social stigmas are commonly related to culture, gender, ra ...

from their families and friends.

Legacy

This action was a landmark moment in the Irish women's movement: it helped break the "taboo against discussing contraceptive practice." It also made a "powerful statement" which raised awareness of the issue surrounding women and contraception. The event received a large amount of press coverage.

References

{{reflist Feminist movements and ideologies 1971 in Ireland Reproductive rights Women's rights in Ireland Women's rights in the United Kingdom 1971 in the Republic of Ireland History of women in the United Kingdom

The protest

Legacy

See also

References