The US could benefit from an Irish-style Repeal revolution
The repeal of the Eighth Amendment, a year ago, was an example of citizen-led deliberative democracy. Meanwhile, in America, reproductive rights are being rolled back by the courts. Why have the law and politics around abortion flipped so dramatically between Ireland and the US?
A year has passed since Ireland’s ‘quiet revolution’ (as described by the Taoiseach), in which the people voted overwhelmingly to repeal our country’s 35-year-old constitutional near-blanket ban on abortion.
Since January 1, women in the Republic of Ireland can legally access abortion services, without restriction, within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Across the ocean in the US, that same period has heralded an onslaught of legislative measures designed to erode women’s reproductive ...
