Why Ireland faces fifth divisive referendum on abortion in 35 years

Why Ireland faces fifth divisive referendum on abortion in 35 years

Larry Donnelly
April 22, 2018

Back in 1983, two thirds of the Irish people voted to insert the following language into their constitution in a referendum: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

What became the 8th Amendment was largely driven by the Catholic Church and conservative forces, who were cognisant of a liberal abortion regime in the United Kingdom and the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion in the United States, and wanted to prevent something similar here in Ireland.

Continued: https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/others/ireland-fifth-referendum-abortion-35-years

22.04.2018

Featured

News

1983 abortion referendum

Ireland – Eighth Amendment has failed even conservatives

Fintan O’Toole: Eighth Amendment has failed even conservatives
Effect was arguably to break silence on abortion and make it more acceptable

April 10, 2018
Fintan O'Toole

There is not much that the two sides in the abortion referendum campaign will ever agree on. But one perception they share is that the insertion of the Eighth Amendment into the Constitution in 1983 was a great victory for those who are opposed to abortion.

This seems blindingly obvious. After all, the self-described Pro-Life Amendment Campaign (PLAC) was stunningly effective. Within a mere two years of its foundation, it not only got the two main political parties to accede to its demand for a referendum, but persuaded two-thirds of voters to back its precise wording for the amendment.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-eighth-amendment-has-failed-even-conservatives-1.3455792

Ireland – Long experience informs shifting views in abortion debate

Long experience informs shifting views in abortion debate
Members of older generation share thoughts on Eighth Amendment

Apr 4, 2018
Sorcha Pollak

Sheila and Paddy Donohoe, now in their 70s, voted in favour of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution in 1983. There was never any question in their minds regarding how they would vote. They were strict Catholics and active members of the Legion of Mary. They had grown up in a conservative country which taught them abortion was a sin in all circumstances.

“We were Catholics, we didn’t practise contraception, we did everything according to the book,” remembers Sheila. “At one stage I would have gone to Mass and Communion every day and we always brought the children to Mass. Whatever the church more or less said we believed. There was no reason for us to doubt or think otherwise. We weren’t encouraged to ask questions. Everything was totally hidden, everything was kept secret.”

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/long-experience-informs-shifting-views-in-abortion-debate-1.3449443

#HomeToVote: Irish expats snap up flights as abortion referendum date is set

#HomeToVote: Irish expats snap up flights as abortion referendum date is set
By Alice Cuddy
29/03/2018

Irish men and women living abroad are rushing to book tickets home to vote in the country’s highly-anticipated referendum on abortion rights after the government announced on Wednesday that it will be held on May 25.

The referendum on whether to repeal a constitutional amendment from 1983 that effectively bans terminations does not allow postal votes from outside of Ireland, and requires returning voters not to have lived outside of Ireland for more than 18 months.

Continued: http://www.euronews.com/2018/03/29/-hometovote-irish-expats-snap-up-flights-as-abortion-referendum-date-is-set

29.03.2018

Featured

News

#HometoVote

1983 abortion referendum

abortion referendum

Eighth Amendment

London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign

Time for change: Anne Enright on Ireland’s abortion referendum

Time for change: Anne Enright on Ireland's abortion referendum

In the coming weeks, voters in Ireland will have the chance to repeal the eighth amendment, which recognises the equal rights to life of a foetus and the mother during pregnancy. We must send a message to the world, the author declares

Anne Enright
Sat 24 Mar 2018

Recently I spoke to a reasonable, sane Irish woman who said that she was against abortion and because she was so reasonable and sane, I was curious what she meant by that. Was she against the morning after pill? Certainly not. What about chemical abortifacients? They did not really worry her too much. So, what about terminations before 12 or 13 weeks, the time when woman are often given the all clear to confirm their pregnancy to family and friends? This woman was not, all things considered, against terminations during this window, when pregnancy is not considered medically certain. She was also, just to make clear, in favour of abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, rape and incest. In 1983 this woman might have voted “against abortion”, despite the fact that she is not against abortion, especially if it happens during those weeks when the natural loss of an embryo is called miscarriage. She just found abortion, in general, hard to vote “for”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/24/ann-enright-on-irelands-abortion-referendum

24.03.2018

Featured

Opinion

1983 abortion referendum

Ireland – Abortion referendum: Many minds not made up

Abortion referendum: Many minds not made up
Most young, urban dwellers favour repeal, but in rural areas the ‘12 weeks issue’ is key

March 16, 2018
Harry McGee Political Correspondent

The phrase “silent majority” has fallen out of fashion in Ireland in recent times. US president Richard Nixon popularised it the 1960s, when he claimed a majority of Americans were conservative by instinct but didn’t voice their opinions publicly as did the liberal minority.

During the 1983 debate on the Eighth Amendment, the outspoken Fine Gael TD and anti-abortion campaigner Alice Glenn used the phrase to great effect.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/abortion-referendum-many-minds-not-made-up-1.3429636

In Ireland, A Vote Is Expected This Spring On Expanding Abortion Rights

March 6, 2018
Lauren Frayer

At her home in Dublin, actress Tara Flynn recalls how, 12 years ago, she learned she was pregnant. It was not planned.

"I was 37. I was single. I wasn't working very much, and I didn't want to be a parent," Flynn says.

She didn't want to have a baby and give it up for adoption, either. But with abortion illegal in Ireland, her only option at the time was to leave the country to end her pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/03/06/590922520/in-ireland-a-vote-is-expected-this-spring-on-expanding-abortion-rights

‘We will not stop’: Irish abortion activist vows to step up fight

'We will not stop': Irish abortion activist vows to step up fight
Ailbhe Smyth says it is time for change as government prepares to release details of referendum

Harriet Sherwood in Dublin
Mon 5 Mar 2018

In 1983, Ailbhe Smyth was spat at and denounced as a “baby murderer” in the street as she campaigned for Irish women to have the right to abortion.

Thirty-five years later, the activist is still at the heart of Ireland’s abortion battle, fighting for her daughter, granddaughter and other women to get control over their bodies.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/05/ireland-abortion-campaign-activist-ailbhe-smyth

Ireland – FitzGerald ‘railroaded’ into 1983 abortion referendum, Barry Desmond claims

FitzGerald ‘railroaded’ into 1983 abortion referendum, Barry Desmond claims
Gemma Hussey recalls threatening letters warning ‘we know where you live’

Feb 19, 2018
Michael O'Regan

The late Fine Gael taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald was “ politically railroaded’’ by Fianna Fáil’s Charles Haughey into agreeing to the controversial 1983 abortion referendum, former Labour minister Barry Desmond has claimed.

Mr Desmond, who was minister for health in the then Fine Gael-Labour coalition, refused to handle the referendum Bill in the Dáil because of his strong opposition to the wording, and responsibility for it was instead allocated by Dr FitzGerald to Michael Noonan, who was minister for justice.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/fitzgerald-railroaded-into-1983-abortion-referendum-barry-desmond-claims-1.3396713

Youth on both sides mobilise ahead of Irish abortion referendum

Youth on both sides mobilise ahead of Irish abortion referendum

Text by Catherine BENNETT
Latest update : 2018-02-13

As Ireland prepares to hold a May referendum on the Irish constitution’s anti-abortion amendment, the youth vote is front and centre of the debate – and young activists on both sides are gearing up for a fight.

A previous national referendum in 1983 approved the Irish constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which recognised an unborn child’s right to life. Women who have an abortion in Ireland can face up to 14 years in prison – leading thousands of women each year to seek to terminate their pregnancies in England and Wales.

Continued: http://www.france24.com/en/20180212-youth-both-sides-mobilise-ireland-abortion-referendum-eighth-amendment