Ireland Reacts As 8th Amendment Is Officially Repealed

The President signed the bill into the constitution last night, officially repealing the 8th Amendment.

News . Written by Sarah McKenna Barry.

Crowds react as the 8th Amendment is repealed in May.

Last night, President Michael D. Higgins signed the 36th Amendment into the Constitution Bill, signifying that the 8th has officially been repealed.

The President’s move amended Article 40.3.3, which pertains to the 8th Amendment (the right to life of the unborn), the 13th Amendment (the right to seek information regarding termination), and the 14th Amendment (the right to travel for a termination). These were replaced with the following:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

The signing emerged after Leo Varadkar announced that legislation regarding the facilitation of abortion would be introduced during the first week of October, adding that this timeline would see termination services put into place in January 2019.

In May, the Irish electorate voted 66.40% in favour of repealing the 8th Amendment.

The signing of the 36th Amendment was announced on the President’s twitter:

Minister for Health Simon Harris retweeted the announcement, adding his support:

Ailbhe Smyth, the co-director of Together for Yes, the national campaign to repeal the 8th Amendment last night shared this:

Roisin Ingle took to Twitter to share her reaction to the 8th being repealed:

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that he is “ready”:

Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland proclaimed that it is “done”:

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger congratulated campaigners on the result:

The signing of the bill comes just over a week in advance of the Annual March for Choice organised by the Abortion Rights Campaign. The theme of the 7th Annual March for Choice is “Free, Safe, Legal”, and will take place on Saturday, September 29. The March acknowledges that while the electorate voted a resounding Yes, ten people still travel for abortion care every day, while three more people take illegal abortion pills at home. The event’s mantra is “no one gets left behind” as Ireland waits for the government to pass legislation and introduce real abortion services.

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