Overview
The Amendment was adopted in November 1992 by a plebiscite of the Irish people, largely in response to Attorney General v. X - a case that arose where a 14-year-old girl who had become pregnant from rape was threatened with legal action for travelling to the United Kingdom to obtain an abortion.
It was intended to allow Irish citizens the freedom to pursue and learn about abortion services in other countries. The actual text of the amendment, however, did not mention the word "abortion". It simply provides that Irish citizens are free to learn about "services" that are illegal within the Republic but legal in other countries.
On the same day the Thirteenth Amendment was approved, guaranteeing freedom of travel with respect to the issue. Another proposal, the Twelfth Amendment, which would have held that the possibility of suicide was not a sufficient threat to justify an abortion, was rejected.
Read more about this topic: Fourteenth Amendment Of The Constitution Of Ireland