Eighth Amendment Of The Constitution Of Ireland
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland introduced a constitutional ban on abortion. It was effected by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1983, which was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on the 7 October of the same year.
The amendment was adopted during the Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government of Garret FitzGerald but was drafted and first suggested by the previous Fianna Fáil government of Charles Haughey. The amendment was supported by Fianna Fáil and some of Fine Gael, and was generally opposed by the political left. Most of those opposed to the amendment insisted that they were not, nonetheless, in favour of legalising abortion. The Catholic hierarchy spoke out in favour of the amendment, but it was opposed by the other mainstream churches. After an acrimonious referendum campaign, the amendment was passed by 67% voting in favour to 33% voting against.
Read more about Eighth Amendment Of The Constitution Of Ireland: Changes To The Text, Background, Oireachtas Debate, Referendum Campaign, Result
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