The Renunciation
opening Performer:
The government decreed unto the people of Ireland.
All :
Thus 12 women are exiled everyday.
1
Performer:
At 27, she does not want to be a mother. She lives with her boyfriend and they agree.
All:
She has overcome obstacles to abortion before and ten years later she faces the same ones again. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
2
Performer:
He is transgender and spent 3 hours at Dublin Airport to make them understand why his passport states he is female.
All:
The contraception failed once and he had to explain his life to a stranger. A Man.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
3
Performer:
She had 15 Summers to her name. She was raped and is pregnant. Her parents brought her to England for an abortion.
All:
She lied to school and friends, afraid of their judgement. She said she was going to England for a holiday. A Girl.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
4 Performer:
He minded their kids while she travelled with a heavy heart after the diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality.
All:
Speaking a foreign tongue, they faced the sorrow alone, one away and the other at home. A Man.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
5
Performer:
Bhí sí ag staidear agus ag sabháil airgid don ollscoil nuair a rinne sise agus a leannán botún.
All:
De bharr botúin amháin, caithfidh sí leath a cuid coigiltis a chaitheamh ar ticéad eitleáin. Bean amháin.
Performer:
Muintir na hÉireann, ardaigí bhur nglórtha.
All :
Is fiú agus is feidir ár rogha fhéin a dhéanamh.
6
Performer:
She is 23 and had a baby. They are both living with HIV. She is a recovering addict. Every day is a struggle.
All:
She knows she can’t afford another baby. She can’t even afford this. She borrows money to travel. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
7
Performer:
She had to travel all the way to London from Northern Ireland: a second class citizen despite her UK passport.
All:
Even though she had paid her taxes just the same, she was not afforded cover by the NHS as others are. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All:
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
8 Performer:
She was an asylum seeker, arrived pregnant after being raped. She tried to get to England but was sent back by the powers that be.
All:
She found help online, ordered abortion pills and had them delivered to her from the North. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All:
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
9
Performer:
She has a child with severe disabilities. She cares for him every hour of the day and night.
All:
Another child would mean less care for her first. Its impossible. She travels to England. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
10
Performer:
While her cancer was in remission, she got pregnant and it endangered her chance of recovery.
All:
A passport out of date delayed her journey more. She never recovered after that. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
11
Performer:
She was against the idea of abortion until she needed one herself. She told a friend who supported her choice
All:
They travelled to England together. She told everyone they were going shopping. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
12 Performer:
She needed an abortion but had no money to travel and no time to smuggle pills from the North.
All:
She found a cheap backstreet abortion but it has cost her health and fertility ever since. A Woman.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose.
closing Performer:
The government decreed unto the people of Ireland.
All :
Thus 12 women are exiled everyday.
Performer:
The amendment was made law.
All :
And we live as criminals.
Performer:
People of Ireland, raise your voices.
All :
We are all worthy of our right to choose. x3
about The Renunciation The Renunciation is a performed reading that intervenes, respectfully, in the reflective space offered by the modern day Angelus. The stories here describe a set of social rituals for 12+ people from Ireland seeking abortions daily. Read aloud, the verses publicly present uncensored insights into lived experiences. Both rhythm and structure reference the Hail Mary prayer that commemorates the moment in which Mary exercised her agency in consenting to becoming pregnant. These verses highlight the detrimental consequences of denying that same agency for others and disregarding our consent - in essence attempting to enforce pregnancy on us. The Renunciation challenges the double standards dictated by idealised notions of womanhood and mothering that ignore present day realities and less-than-ideal circumstances. The Renunciation is a production by home|work, a group title that refers to the domestic policies of the Irish state that preclude access to abortion in the country. It is also a nod to the traditional sphere of work of women in Ireland and the practice of making change from within. You are invited to borrow these books and share the stories they contain by staging your own performance of The Renunciation. home|work and The Renunciation emerged from a research and development phase undertaken by artist Siobhﾃ｡n Clancy with activist members of the Abortion Rights Campaign. It is funded under The Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme managed by Create (The National Development Agency for Collaborative Arts) with mentorship by performance artist ﾃ（ne Phillips. For more information, go to www.homeworkcollective.tumblr.com Special thanks to A4 Sounds Studio, Dublin, Ireland.