As word landed this week that the Irish nation would finally be granted a referendum on the hugely contentious 8th amendment, thoughts travelled to the women who have already fallen victim to a system which refused to grant them bodily autonomy.


Indeed, today marks the 34th anniversary of 15-year-old Ann Lovett, who died from a post-partum haemorrhage after delivering her baby son alone in a grotto in Granard, Co Longford.



Ann's death in 1984 has subsequently acted as a symbol of a system which refused to place trust in its women, and today the Irish public are seeking to remember her bravery.



"Like many names and faces we know & will never know, she was betrayed by a culture that shamed and punished young unmarried pregnant women," wrote one Twitter user this morning.



Echoing this sentiment, many more used their platforms to pay tribute to the schoolgirl who gave birth on a dark, cold night beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary.

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