Geraldine Kennedy: Why I am a reluctant Yes to repeal Eighth Amendment
It’s a long way from what I voted against in 1983 to the right to abortion at 12 weeks ‘without any indication’
April 27, 2018
Geraldine Kennedy
There have been almost 30 referendums since the Constitution was adopted in 1937. I have covered the vast majority of them in my journalistic career. There have been more abortion questions put to the people in referendums than any other single issue in the history of the State. So, I have become something of a specialist on abortion. The referendum on May 25th is the sixth time around for me.
The first time was on September 7th, 1983, when the Eighth Amendment was put into the Constitution. It is hard to believe that it was held almost 35 years ago. This means every voter under the age of 53 years or so, depending on their political awareness, has no personal memory of that campaign.