In the News: Ireland: Abortion Law Changes

Eighth Amendment committee agrees to recommend abortion law changes, Sarah Bardon, The Irish Times, 2017-12-13.

The Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment has agreed to recommend a series of changes to abortion laws, including access to terminations without restriction up to 12 weeks. After three months of evidence from experts, the committee proposed repealing Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution, which gives the unborn and the mother an equal right to life.

This is a major advance for women’s rights in a country where Catholic obscurantism has always retarded such rights. The “Oireachtas” is the Irish legislature. Our friends of Atheist Ireland work for these rights as a member of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment.

See also:

• Irish Lawmakers Recommend Repealing Strict Abortion Ban, Ed O’Loughlin, The New York Times, 2017-12-13
• Abortion committee votes in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment, Ruairi Scott Byrne, buzz.ie, 2017-12-13.
  “An Oireachtas Committee on abortion has formally recommended that the Eighth Amendment be repealed. TDs and Senators on the cross-party committee voted 14 to 6, with one abstention, to recommend that the amendment – which gives equal status to the life of the mother and her unborn baby – be removed from the constitution.”
• Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, Wikipedia.