The abortion referendum of 2018 and a timeline of abortion politics in Ireland to date

Abstract

In 2018, Ireland voted to remove its constitutional ban on abortion in almost all circumstances. This overturned a previous decision by referendum to institute such a ban in 1983. The scale of the change in Irish society that this vote has displayed is significant, representing an even further shift towards a more socially liberal outlook than that seen in the marriage referendum of 2015. As with the previous referendum, this referendum is also of interest to scholars of deliberative processes, given the key role played by Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly in progressing the debate and shaping both the referendum question and the draft legislation that was to follow. This report provides the historical context of this referendum with regard to Ireland’s previous abortion regime and antecedent referendums on this topic, as well as discussing the deliberative processes and the dynamics of the referendum campaign itself.