Irish abortion referendum: Ireland overturns abortion ban

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44256152

The Republic of Ireland has voted overwhelmingly to overturn the abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6%.

A referendum held on Friday resulted in a landslide win for the repeal side.

Currently, abortion is only allowed when a woman's life is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality.

The Eighth Amendment, which grants an equal right to life to the mother and unborn, will be replaced.

The declaration was made at Dublin Castle at 18:13 local time.

The only constituency to vote against repealing the Eighth amendment was Donegal, with 51.9% voting against the change.

A vote in favour of repeal paves the way for the Dáil (Irish Parliament) to legislate for change which would see the introduction of a much more liberal regime.

In 2015 the country voted overwhelmingly to legalise same-sex marriage in a historic referendum.

More at link.

[Tywysog Cymru]

Well, there goes one of the last bastions of traditional Christian values in Europe. Just Poland and Northern Ireland left.

[VIDEODROME]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-abortion-vote

The father of Savita Halappanavar, the 31-year-old dentist who died of sepsis in 2012 after being denied an abortion during a protracted miscarriage, has said he is “very happy” at the result of Ireland’s referendum.

Speaking to the Guardian by phone from his home in Karnataka, south-west India, Andanappa Yalagi said: “We’ve got justice for Savita, and what happened to her will not happen to any other family now.

“I have no words to express my gratitude to the people of Ireland at this historic moment.”

Last week he told the Guardian that his daughter’s death had devastated the family. “It’s still very emotional after five years. I think about her every day,” he said.

As it became clear on Saturday that Ireland had voted overwhelmingly to reform its restrictive abortion regime, flowers and messages were left at a mural created by street artist Aches in Dublin last week to commemorate Halappanavar.

Ian Jennings, 24, said: “I’ve come down here specifically to say sorry to the women of Ireland and women like Savita that we let down.

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“For decades in this country we turned women away, hid them and we shamed them and our generation has decided that we are never going to do that again.”

One message taped to the wall read: “I’m sorry. I hope this absolves our country’s guilt.”

Another note said: “Your death started me on this journey to repeal the eighth. Today I stand proud of our country as we managed to do that. You will never be forgotten and I’m so sorry we couldn’t help you. My yes was for you.”

Rosita Sweetman, 70, a founder member of the women’s movement in Ireland, said: “It feels like the end of hundreds of years of repression by the Catholic church. It’s such a huge change.”

Halappanavar was admitted to University hospital in Galway on 21 October 2012, when she was 17 weeks pregnant with her first child. Medical staff concluded that a miscarriage was inevitable but did not intervene – despite requests from Halappanavar and her husband for an abortion – as a foetal heartbeat could be detected.

A few days later, medics diagnosed infection as a result of ruptured membranes and, later septic shock. Halappanavar died on 28 October.

In media interviews in the following weeks, Praveen Halappanavar said he and his wife had repeatedly asked for the pregnancy to be terminated after her admission to hospital, but they had been told: “This is a Catholic country”.