On May 25, 2018 – just over a week away – Ireland, my
home country, will hold a referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment
(article 40.3.3) from its constitution. This is an issue that ignites a
painful kind of anger in me. That this debate even exists, in an Ireland
that I have come to see as progressive, engaged and open, is
infuriating.
The Eighth Amendment restricts abortion
in almost all circumstances, including cases of fatal foetal
abnormality and rape.
The Eighth Amendment was introduced in 1983,
giving an equal right to life to both mother and unborn child; until
1992 it also restricted a woman’s right to travel abroad for a
termination. This was only permitted after a case reached the Supreme
Court involving a 14-year-old girl who was raped and became suicidal.
It’s estimated that approximately 5,000 Irish women access abortion
annually, either by travelling abroad or using incredibly dangerous
pills purchased online.
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