On May 26, 2018, Ireland voted by a landslide to legalize
abortion. This vote marked a dramatic defeat for the Catholic church’s
domination of the country. Ultimately, 66.4% of people voting yes to legalizing
abortion while 33.6% voted no. Votes turned out in mass numbers to abolish the
eighth amendment of the Irish constitution. Ireland’s prime minister, Leo
Varadkar, promised to create legal terminations by the end of the year. Voters
have given the government “a clear mandate” to legalize abortion up to 12
weeks. Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon
Coveney, argued that this vote was not urban vs. rural; it was a whole country
decision. The overall turnout of the abortion referendum was at 64.51%, larger
than the 60.5% that voted in the 2015 marriage vote. The only country in the
area that not bans abortions in almost all circumstances remains Northern Ireland.
Gabbi Gruver
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