Ireland Passes Abortion Bill

  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-19^th 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

The recently passed bill sprung from the 2012 death of Savita Halappanavar in an Irish hospital.  The woman was 17 weeks pregnant and suffering pregnancy complications that ultimately killed her.  An abortion would have saved her life, but Irish law prevented the hospital from performing one.  International protests ensued, and the law came to fruition.  There was heavy debate surrounding the law, but ultimatelyit passed in Ireland with an overwhelming majority.  While it does not give much power to women in reproduction rights, it is a step in the right direction for a country that has been so staunch on the issue for so long.