On Tuesday evening, the President of Ireland enacted the constitutional law legalising abortion in Ireland. He signed “the thirty-sixth amendment of the constitutional bill which consequently became law”, thereby repealing the 8th Amendment which has recognised an equal right to life for both mother and unborn child since 1983. This change follows on from the May referendum in which 66% of Irish people approved “the liberalisation of abortion” (see Irish referendum: abortion decriminalised).
Next week, the Health Minister is expected to submit to parliament a bill “aimed at implementing the right to abortion”. The legislation will be examined from October. It would authorise unconditional abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy and, in some cases, up to the 24th week (see Abortion in Ireland: draft bill delayed) .
AFP (18/09/2018); BBC (18/09/2018)
Photo: Pixabay (DR)