History of The Republic of Ireland - Social Liberalisation

Social Liberalisation

In the late twentieth century, Irish society underwent rapid social change. After the introduction of free education in the late 1960s, many more people had access to second and third level qualifications. The relative economic success of the 1960s and 1970s also decreased emigration, meaning that Ireland became a younger and much more urban society than before. The spread of television and other mass media also exposed Irish citizens to a far wider range of influences than previously. All of these factors loosened the power of the traditional political parties and the Catholic Church over society.

By the 1980s, many were calling for liberalisation of the state's laws, particularly a review of the bans on divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality. However, they were also opposed by well-organised groups who accused the reformers of being irreligious and "anti-family". That decade saw bitter disagreement between socially conservative, principally religious, elements and liberals over a series of referendums.

In 1983, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign campaigned for and won a referendum, explicitly including a ban on abortion into the constitution - the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.

The liberals had a victory in 1985, when it was made legal to buy condoms and spermicides without prescription. Nevertheless, it was not until 1993 that all restrictions on information and sale of contraceptives were abolished. In 1986, the Fine Gael/Labour coalition proposed to remove the ban on divorce. This was opposed by Fianna Fáil and the Catholic Church and the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1986 (Ireland) was defeated in a referendum.

Since 1992 the state has become less socially conservative. Liberalisation has been championed by figures like Mary Robinson, a radical feminist senator who became President of Ireland, and David Norris, who led the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform. Homosexual sex was decriminalised by an act of parliament in 1993.

While abortion remains illegal in Ireland, the constitutional ban on it was softened somewhat in 1992. After a referendum in that year, the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1992 (Ireland) was approved, it was made legal to perform an abortion to save the life of a mother, to give information about abortion and to travel to another country for an abortion. In 1995, after a referendum, the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland legalised divorce.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, these questions were deeply divisive in the Republic of Ireland and exposed deep social cleavages between religious and secular-minded people, urban and rural, middle and working classes. Issues such as divorce, contraception and homosexuality have since become accepted by many and have ceased to be matters of serious political debate. However, legalising abortion remains controversial and according to some opinion polls up to 70% support the ban on abortion as it currently stands.