A petition can be a powerful thing. Every day, Uplift members start their own petitions so they can take action on the issues that matter the most to them and to their communities.
Here are just three recent petitions that have made a huge impact – they’ve all gotten huge media coverage, and each one has the power to help build a safer, more equal country for us all.
Mandate Breast Density Reporting for All Irish Women
Martha Lovett Cullen with her mother Marian.
In August 2024, Marian Lovett tragically died from breast cancer. She was just 61 years old.
Marian had been given a clear mammogram in 2022, but just a year later, she was given a devastating diagnosis — she was told that she had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, a terminal diagnosis.
After receiving her diagnosis, Marian learned that she had dense breast tissue, which makes cancer harder to detect via mammogram. This means that Marian’s cancer was likely missed. She was deeply frustrated that she was never told that she had dense breast tissue and about what this could mean.
Now, her daughter Martha Lovett Cullen is calling on the Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to introduce a Breast Density Notification Law. This law would require that all women be told whether they have dense or non-dense breasts after a mammogram, giving them crucial information that could save or prolong their lives.
Martha’s campaign has gone from strength to strength. Since launching her petition in March, she’s gotten more than 8,000 signatures from people all across Ireland who support her call. She was also invited to speak to TDs in Leinster House about her campaign, and she’s told her story on television and in newspapers.
If you haven’t signed Martha’s petition yet, you can do so here — and make sure to share it too.
Further Reading
Martha Lovett Cullen on Ireland AM
‘She could still be here’: Improvements to cancer screening sought after mother’s death | Newstalk
‘Your mum teaches you everything except how to live without her’ | Her.ie
Protect Lives – Create Jennie’s Law: a Domestic Abuse Register for Ireland
Jennifer Poole’s family are campaigning for Jennie’s Law to be introduced.
In April 2021, Jennifer Poole was murdered by her ex-partner. She was just 24 years old.
After Jennifer’s death, her family learned that the man who killed her had a history of violence against women — and that he had even been imprisoned for assaulting a former partner. Tragically, Jennifer never knew about her partner’s violent past when she entered into a relationship with him.
Ever since, Jennifer’s family have been calling on the government to introduce Jennie’s Law. This law would create a domestic abuse register, meaning people across Ireland could find out if a new or current partner had been convicted for domestic violence.
The government has been dragging their heels on Jennie’s Law, so her brother Jason Poole started a petition calling on them to take urgent action. His petition now has over 26,000 signatures — and it’s growing all the time.
If you haven’t signed Jason’s petition yet, add your name here.
Further reading
Adam’s Protocols – Someone presenting as suicidal shouldn’t have to go through A&E
Right now, people who are having a mental health crisis are expected to go to A&E, just like everybody else — but it’s often not the best place for somebody experiencing mental health issues.
Joe Loughnane started his petition after his brother Adam died by suicide in February. Adam had been to A&E just before his death, but he was triaged and told to sit and wait. Eventually, he got up and left. He was found dead hours later.
Joe’s petition has already racked up more than 18,000 signatures, and he and his family have taken their campaign to the next level by talking to the media and writing to government ministers.
If you haven’t signed Joe’s petition yet, you can do so here.
Adam Loughnane asked for help at a Galway hospital. Three hours later he was dead | The Irish Times
