It's official! Ireland has repealed the Eighth Amendment, ending 35-year ban on abortion
newsdepo.com
Since 1983, Ireland has had some of the harshest reproductive rights laws in the Western world. On Friday, voters came from far and wide to change that. Just moments ago, the Irish government confirmed what exit polls predicted: the Constitutional ban on aborIt's official! Ireland has repealed the Eighth Amendment, ending 35-year ban on abortion
Since 1983, Ireland has had some of the harshest reproductive rights laws in the Western world. On Friday, voters came from far and wide to change that. Just moments ago, the Irish government confirmed what exit polls predicted: the Constitutional ban on abortion is no longer. It’s expected that new laws will permit the procedure until at least 12 weeks. Ireland has repealed the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution by an overwhelming majority. The news was formally announced at Dublin Castle on Saturday evening. Crowds had gathered in the castle’s main square ahead of the declaration. Activists have been fighting the Eighth since its creation, but it was the completely unnecessary and preventable 2012 death of dentist Savita Halappanavar that proved to be the catalyst to finally force the change. Halappanavar was admitted to University hospital in Galway on 21 October 2012, when she was 17 weeks pregnant with her first child. Medical staff concluded that a miscarriage was inevitable but did not intervene – despite requests from Halappanavar and her husband for an abortion – as a foetal heartbeat could be detected. A few days later, medics diagnosed infection as a result of ruptured membranes and, later septic shock. Halappanavar died on 28 October. Praveen Halappanavar said he and his wife had repeatedly asked for the pregnancy to be terminated after her admission to hospital, but they had been told: “This is a Catholic country.” Thousands of people took part in candlelit vigils and protests across Ireland, calling for changes to allow women to have access to legal abortions. An inquest jury returned a unanimous verdict of medical misadventure. Read more