The first law
surrounding abortion has passed in Ireland, the predominantly Roman Catholic
country that has been avoiding such legislation far beyond the rest of the
Western world. The law allows for abortionsto be performed only if the pregnancy is a danger to the life of the mother. Even more restrictive, the procedures
requires approval from two doctors for medical reasons, and if they mother is
suicidal, three doctors have to approve the decision.
Abortion has been
completely banned in Ireland since its independence in 1922, using a law from
the mid-19th century to keep abortions illegal. In 1983, Ireland added an unborn child’s
right to live as an amendment to the constitution. The Supreme Court in Ireland determined a
case in 1992 that set precedent to give women the right to travel out of the
country for an abortion and to allow abortions in the case of a suicidal
mother. However, in 2005, the court shot
down an attempt to call Ireland’s ban on abortion was in violation of the
European Convention of Human Rights. The
court said the Irish law was legitimately protecting public morality.
Photo by Cathal Mcnaughton/Reuters |
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