Abortion referendum: the political winners and losers

Abortion referendum: the political winners and losers
Varadkar, Martin and McDonald strengthen their position while conservatives miss out

May 26, 2018
Fiach Kelly Deputy Political Editor

The referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution is set to be passed by a margin even greater than the most enthusiastic advocates for repeal could have imagined.

The campaign to repeal was led by civic society groups, principally Together for Yes, but there are still political winners and losers from an extraordinary campaign.We chart who they are below.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/abortion-referendum-the-political-winners-and-losers-1.3509893

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

At last, an abortion referendum. Women’s protest has won over Irish politicians

At last, an abortion referendum. Women’s protest has won over Irish politicians

Emer O'Toole
Tue 30 Jan 2018

Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin have shifted from anti-abortion stances. If we can convince them, we can convince our families and friends

On Monday night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed that Ireland will hold a referendum on abortion in late May. The electorate will be asked if they want to repeal or retain the eighth amendment to the constitution, which effectively bans terminations. In the case of repeal, people will also be asked to approve an addition to the constitution allowing the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, to legislate for abortion. The government will draft legislation for unrestricted access to terminations up to 12 weeks, but this will only be voted on if the referendum passes.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/30/abortion-referendum-ireland-women-protest-politicians-leo-varadkar-micheal-martin-repeal-mov?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_todayworld

Ireland: 1861-2017: the divisive history of abortion

1861-2017: the divisive history of abortion

December 14 2017

1861: Abortion is made a criminal offence in Ireland under the Offences Against the Person Act.

1983: Referendum on the Eighth Amendment is passed by a two-to-one margin. The resulting Article 40.3.3 in the Constitution guarantees equal status to the lives of a mother and unborn child.

1991: Ireland signs the EU Maastricht Treaty, but gets guarantee its abortion law will not be affected.

Continued at source: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/18612017-the-divisive-history-of-abortion-36407136.html

14.12.2017

Offences Against the Person Act

Ireland: Road to abortion referendum will be long and arduous

Road to abortion referendum will be long and arduous
Our parliament is not set up for the quick end to the abortion debate that is needed

Fri, Apr 28, 2017, 01:03
Oliver Callan

The emphatic vote of the Citizens’ Assembly and opinion polls show there is compelling support for liberalising our abortion laws. Sadly for the hours campaigners have spent on the matter, there is little appetite in so-called “New Politics” to do anything about it.

Continued at source: Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/road-to-abortion-referendum-will-be-long-and-arduous-1.3063821

28.04.2017

Ireland: Taoiseach insists no free vote on abortion Bill

23 October 2016, BEAT

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has escalated a row with Independent ministers by again ruling out a free vote on abortion this week.

TDs will vote on Thursday on a Bill from the Anti-Austerity Alliance, which would mean a referendum on repealing the 8th Amendment.

[continued at link]
Source: Beat

23.10.2016

Ireland: Citizens’ Assembly to submit report over legal restrictions on abortion

Updated / Oct. 15, 2016 22:44

The inaugural meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly has decided to hold four weekend-long meetings on the constitutional restrictions on abortion before submitting a report to legislators.

The Assembly's Chairperson, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, said she is investigating a claim by the pro-life campaign that an assembly member has been expressing pro-choice views on social media and warned that the body’s integrity could be undermined if it turned out to be true.

The 99 ordinary assembly members, chosen by a polling company to be broadly representative of the electorate, joined Judge Laffoy and Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Dublin Castle this afternoon.

[continued at link]
Source: RTE News

15.10.2016

Ireland: State rejects UN demand on abortion

Ellen Coyne

September 24 2016, The Times

The government is disregarding its human rights obligations by not legislating for access to abortion despite being advised to do so by several UN committees, Brendan Howlin has said.

The state yesterday rejected a recommendation from a UN review body to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which equates the life of a woman with that of her foetus.

Last May Frances Fitzgerald appeared before the UN’s universal periodic review committee, where successive governments called on Ireland to comply with international human rights standards by making abortion accessible to women in cases of rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormalities.

[continued at link]
Source: The Times

24.09.2016

Universal Periodic Review Committee

Ireland: In a country where no one wants to talk about abortion, these women live-tweeted it

Forced 2 leave Ireland, @EndaKennyTD waiting room,waiting for our loved ones #twowomentravel 8:59 AM - 20 Aug 2016

August 25, 2016 · 12:00 PM EDT
By Shondiin Silversmith

It is illegal for women to get an abortion in Ireland unless the pregnancy directly threatens her life.

With no other options, two women live-tweeted as they traveled to the United Kingdom for the procedure.

@TwoWomenTravel live-tweeted from Friday to Sunday. The description of the Twitter account states “Two Women, one procedure, 48 hours away from home.”

The women kept their identities private, and the account of the trip could not be independently confirmed.

Many of the tweets sent out from that account included Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny's Twitter handle @EndaKennyTD as well as the hashtag #twowomentravel.

[continued at link]
Source: PRI.org

25.08.2016

Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment

2 Irish women live-tweet their journey for an abortion in Britain

@TwoWomenTravel #twowomentravel @EndaKennyTD 10:09 AM - 21 Aug 2016

New York Times, WITW Staff
08.22.16

Banned from receiving an abortion in Ireland, a woman — together with her friend — has tweeted about their journey to Britain on Saturday under the handle Two Women Travel. “Two women, one procedure, 48 hours away from home,” is how they described their mission, while remaining anonymous. The woman seeking the procedure is among the more than 3,000 women who travel to the U.K. from Ireland annually for abortions.

The women’s posts all tagged Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, who supports the country’s strict abortion laws, with the exception of cases where the woman’s life is at risk. The overwhelmingly majority Catholic nation has the strictest ban in all of the European Union.

After the procedure to terminate the pregnancy, the women thanked their supporters: “Our love to you all. @EndaKennyTD failed us. You did not.”

[continued at link]
Source: New York Times

22.08.2016