The Troubles Era

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The Troubles Era was largely seen as having taken place primarily within the 1960s, although it expanded for three decades. During this time frame, civil rights marches occurred frequently and more often than not ended in bloody conflicts. Politicians were faced with restoring the peace and establishing a stronger and more economic Ireland. Inter-parties became common in an attempt to establish unity. The Mother and Child Scheme as it was called began with Dr. Browne, the Minister of Health. Dr. Browne introduced a health act, similar to the failed Ryan Health Act of 1947, in which it would allow free healthcare for pregnant women and their children who are up to the age of sixteen (Jackson 307). This provided strong backlash from the Catholic Church who felt their pay was going to be at risk (Jackson 307). The idea of simply praying in order to heal one’s illness was commonly accepted before then. Members of the Church stated that this act if implemented would lead to birth control and abortion, both of which were considered a sin. After the failure of the Mother and Child proposal Dr. Browne left the first inter-party administration. Browne’s public departure combined with that of several other politicians (they left due to other reasons) marked the fall of the party (Jackson 306-307). The civil rights movement began in 1953 and was modeled closely after the American civil rights movement. Approximately, 44,000 civil servants took part in a demonstration in Dublin to protest. (http://www.finance.gov.ie/documents/civilservice/CandAscheme.pdf ) The government had failed to enact the Civil Service Arbitration Board's award which would increase minimum wage and provide a better workplace environment (Éireann). Due t... ... middle of paper ... ...n Movement was created by Dr. Beere (Ireland). The WLM adopted the motto “Chains or Change.” This motto also became the tile for a publication published soon thereafter. “The author of Chains or Change noted: • a married woman was still regarded as the chattel of her husband • there was still a marriage bar for women in the Civil Service • Irish women workers earned only 55% of men's wages • 'chivalry' and 'respect' applied only to manners not to fact • contraception was illegal • many widows after a lifetime in the home ended their days in degrading poverty • attention was needed to the plight of unwed mothers, deserted wives, and those with broken marriages” (Ireland). In an attempt to get contraception legalized many women walked out on mass. In 1971 the WLM brought back contraceptives to Dublin, while the medications were still banned.

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