UBC Wiki - User contributions [en]

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-04T02:19:08Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Debate and Significance of the Repeal */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties, namely the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland. When the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power in 1982, the wording for the Amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> The Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favor of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
In 1992 a14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As the result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection caused by a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because, as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death demonstrated the necessity for legislation to protect the life of the mother since the post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act. The legislation made it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances, where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice campaign led to the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The debate on abortion, especially in Ireland, revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The pro-choice arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> In places where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources with disastrous health consequences for the mothers.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> Many pro-life representatives lean conservative and are heavily influenced by religious doctrine, though the opinion on this issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The pro-life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is in most cases much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for liberalization of abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown an example to follow in that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances, while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult. In many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health. To avoid dangerous, illegal abortion procedures it is imperative to legalize abortion and provide proper healthcare services to those who require it.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-04T02:08:21Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties, namely the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland. When the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power in 1982, the wording for the Amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> The Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favor of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
In 1992 a14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As the result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection caused by a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because, as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death demonstrated the necessity for legislation to protect the life of the mother since the post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act. The legislation made it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances, where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice campaign led to the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The reason why abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland, revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The pro-choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> In places where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources with disastrous health consequences for the mothers.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The pro-life campaign allocates most of its focus to the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservative and are heavily influenced by religious doctrine, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The pro-life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> Many of their advocates believe abortion is an act of murder. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is in most cases much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for liberalization of abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances, while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult. In many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T23:34:03Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties, namely the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland, to the point where they would include a proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. When the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power in 1982, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable agents such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favor of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As the result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection caused by a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because, as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death demonstrated the necessity for legislation to protect the life of the mother since the post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act. The legislation made it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances, where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice campaign led to the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The reason why abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland, revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The pro-choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> In places where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources with disastrous health consequences for the mothers.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The pro-life campaign allocates most of its focus to the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservative and are heavily influenced by religious doctrine, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The pro-life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> Many of their advocates believe abortion is an act of murder. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is in most cases much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for liberalization of abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances, while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult. In many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T22:11:16Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favor of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As the result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because, as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since the post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice campaign led to the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The reason why abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland, revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The pro-choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> In places where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources with disastrous health consequences for the mothers.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The pro-life campaign allocates most of its focus to the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservative and are heavily influenced by religious doctrine, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The pro-life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> Many of their advocates believe abortion is an act of murder. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is in most cases much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for liberalization of abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult and, in many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T00:52:14Z

BogdanVolodin:

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.
=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult and, in many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients.<ref>“Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs of Travel.” A Snapshot of Contraceptive Use among Heterosexual Couples | Irish Family Planning Association, www.ifpa.ie/Hot-Topics/Abortion/Costs-Of-Travel.</ref> Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T00:07:25Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Debate and Significance of the Repeal */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.
=== Intersectional Analysis ===
Since the current state of legislation regarding abortion in Ireland is extremely restrictive, it is important to assess the effects and demographics of those effects within the population. The restrictions on abortion are universal, however the results of those restrictions differ among individuals and groups. The lack of access to abortion in Ireland means that many women are forced to travel to different places to receive the procedure. The majority of those women get their abortions in England or Wales. It is estimated that at least 173,308 women and girls traveled out of the Republic of Ireland to receive an abortion in a different country between January 1980 and December 2017. This number is distributed among all the different age groups and economic status. The journey is burdensome in financial, physical, and physiological terms. Thus, women of lower financial status are less likely to travel abroad to get an abortion. In addition, asylum seekers and immigrants whose travel abilities are restricted by their residency status are even further restrained from receiving medical assistance abroad. Teenagers who seek abortions are confined by stigma and lack of finances while the rural population has less access to information about how to approach the issue. Physical and mental health also play a major role in limiting people’s ability to deal with the situation because traveling to another country is difficult and, in many cases, the Irish hospitals are reluctant to provide other countries with medical history of their patients. Inferring from the evidence above there are different limitations that people face when seeking to find a solution to unwanted pregnancies distributed based on financial status, age groups, residency, geographical locations, and mental or physical health.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T00:06:49Z

BogdanVolodin:

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.

The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T00:04:55Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Debate and Significance of the Repeal */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws. By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws.

The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-03T00:00:41Z

BogdanVolodin:

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref>

The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-02T23:44:29Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a progressive move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards liberalizing the restrictions on abortions. Specifically, decisions permitting abortions within 28 weeks of pregnancy in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right of privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This along with the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws were beginning to be a cause of concern for the strongly religious and conservative population of Ireland. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the Constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn. Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. In 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the Labour Party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the Bill for the 8<sup>th</sup> Amendment of the Constitution passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil, and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th Amendment and Article 40 Section 3 Subsection 3:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention. In 1992, A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy (as the result of rape) was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish Gardai about their intentions and the issue reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. The High Court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result, two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical center because as the nurse stated “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref>Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:

“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== The Debate and Significance of the Repeal ===
The fact that abortion is such a prevalent issue in the political sphere can attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics. The debate, especially in Ireland revolves around the rights of the mother versus the rights of the unborn. The Pro-Choice platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.

The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Intersectional Analysis ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-08-01T03:32:13Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
The issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-31T22:21:55Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The X Case */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

Thread:Talk:GRSJ224/Depiction of Immigrants in Western films/Interesting Topic

2018-07-28T00:10:30Z

BogdanVolodin: New thread: Interesting Topic

It is easy to overlook the details of how ethnicity plays a role in determining which role a person plays in a movie. For me personally I don't often pay attention to details like that in movies, but once I actually think about it stereotypes do seem to have a substantial effect on characters in movies. I believe it would be useful for your wiki to use examples from popular movies to show to what extent the concepts of ethnicity and stereotypes are prevalent in the film industry. I am looking forward to reading the final product!

Thread:Talk:Sex Education in Schools/Cool Topic

2018-07-26T23:50:49Z

BogdanVolodin: New thread: Cool Topic

This is a pretty unique choice for a topic and I am glad that you chose it because I wanted to know more about this subject. It's quite troubling that one third of the US states still provide an abstinence oriented sexual education. This approach is not only impractical, but also undermines the goal of sexual education.You're right in stating that, though abstinence in adolescence may be encouraged, in many cases where due to their rebellious nature, teens chose to engage is sexual relations they should be given the opportunity to learn about safe sex. There is an interesting trend of progressive thought within religion that is catching rapid growth and it will be interesting to see how this progress will affect issues relating to sexuality in the near future.

User talk:BogdanVolodin

2018-07-26T23:19:36Z

BogdanVolodin: Talk page autocreated when first thread was posted

Thread:User talk:BogdanVolodin/Interesting Topic

2018-07-26T23:19:36Z

BogdanVolodin: New thread: Interesting Topic

This was an interesting read and provides a different lens into the abortion issue in a place that is considered to be one of the most liberal in terms of abortion laws. My project was also about abortion and it was interesting to see how this complex issue plays out around the world. It has been around since ancient times and the fact that people still cannot come to an agreement about it show just how complex this issue is. A few points that are always important to consider are the ones that you mention even when abortion is legal within a state, there is a discrepancy in access for women of different class, geographical location, and other variables. It appears that there is a major movement to soften abortion restrictions around the world and it will be interesting to see how this issue progresses in the near future.

Thread:Talk:Masculinity in Films/Interesting Read

2018-07-25T22:28:01Z

BogdanVolodin: New thread: Interesting Read

I enjoyed reading this posting and would like to point out that there are a lot of things to consider when analyzing this particular topic of masculinity. While I believe that the social representation of masculinity in media outlets such as film may contribute on some level to how men in society should or do act, it would be foolish to disregard the biological influences that contribute to such behaviors or representations. Masculinity and femininity are both very important traits of humans and a balanced mixture of both on different levels in men and women is an optimal solution. The suppression of either trait is unhealthy for the development of the individual as well as society because it contradicts our biological constructs. Males and females have different levels of different hormones that contribute to the development of different traits inherent to each sex. For example, the fact that more females are likely to attempt suicide than males, but more males are likely to succeed in such an endeavor is a representation of the higher levels of masculinity in males (on average) that contributes to higher levels on aggression. This can hardly be attributed to the social constructs of masculinity represented in the media. I do agree that media outlets do play a role and contribute to the image of masculinity that society portrays, however it is important not to overlook the contributions of other factors.

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-23T03:34:11Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-23T01:38:52Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Pro-Life */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament.<ref>Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .</ref> In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-23T01:33:35Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Pro-Choice */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion.<ref>Londras, Fiona de, and Mairead Enright. Repealing the 8th. Policy Press, 2018.</ref> Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon.<ref>Ziegler, Mary. After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.</ref> These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-23T00:46:23Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.”<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists.<ref>Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.</ref> Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-22T23:34:39Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The X Case */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother.<ref>Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.</ref> Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion.<ref>Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614</ref> As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-22T23:11:21Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The X Case */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother. Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion. As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.” <ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-22T21:30:07Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Sources */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother. Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion. As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.”

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-22T21:20:59Z

BogdanVolodin: /* The Formation of the Amendment */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion.<ref>Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” Time, Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.</ref> In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives.<ref>Cloatre, Emilie, and Máiréad Enright. "Commentary on McGee v Attorney General." Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges’ Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity. By Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless and Aoife O’Donoghue. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017. 95–116. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 22 Jul. 2018</ref> This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party.<ref>Duffy, Rónán. “From 1983 to 2018: A History of the Eighth Amendment.” TheJournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/eighth-amendment-2-3924188-Apr2018/.</ref> Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum.<ref>Quinn, D. (2017, Spring). Abortion looming in ireland. Human Life Review, 43, 5-11.</ref> There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”<ref>United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.</ref>

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother. Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion. As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.”

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.

Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.

Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614.

Lancet, The. “Irelands Abortion Law: a Start but Not Enough.” The Lancet, vol. 382, no. 9888, 2013, p. 182., doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61584-6.

Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .

United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.

Ziegler, Mary. ''After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate''. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.

Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” ''Time'', Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-22T01:49:40Z

BogdanVolodin: /* Sources */

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion. In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives. This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party. Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum. There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother. Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion. As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.”

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.

Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.

Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614.

Lancet, The. “Irelands Abortion Law: a Start but Not Enough.” The Lancet, vol. 382, no. 9888, 2013, p. 182., doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61584-6.

Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .

United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.

Ziegler, Mary. ''After Roe: the Lost History of the Abortion Debate''. Harvard Univ. Press, 2015.

Nugent, Ciara. “Ireland Abortion Referendum-History Behind the 8th Amendment.” ''Time'', Time, 23 May 2018, time.com/5286910/ireland-abortion-laws-history/.

GRSJ224

2018-07-21T05:37:26Z

BogdanVolodin:

=== INTRODUCTION ===

This '''Wikispace''' is a peer-produced shared resource that will evolve as students post content relating to GRSJ224. You are responsible for creating dynamic and informative wiki pages. As you add and update information throughout the semester, originality, resourcefulness, and creativity is encouraged. The wiki will be sustained for successive semesters so that the work you contribute will be available to future students.

=== ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION ===

To download and view full details of the assignment, click [https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/xid-16358571_1 here].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_preparation.gif ||
* Read: [http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf 7 Things you should know about Wikis]
* Choose a term from the table of contents
* Confirm your selection of topic with your instructor by the '''SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES'''
* Set up your wiki page.
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_finalizing.png ||
* Continue to work towards improving and finalizing your Wiki.
* Consider the wiki as a whole and the usefulness of adding images and links.
* Check your Talk page to see if your peers provided you with any useful feedback
* Ensure your Wiki is properly cited
* Proofread your Wiki

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_research.gif ||
* Gather resources in relevance of your discoveries to class materials.
* Familiarize yourself with the wiki-authoring tools of [[GRSJ224/wikibasics|Wiki Basics]]
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_submit.gif ||
* Submit "Wikipedia Report" to your instructor in Connect

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_drafting.gif ||
* Read: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles Wikipedia's guide to Writing Better Articles]
* Write content relevant to class material.
* Tailor your page to your audience.
* Check out your peers’ draft Wikis below and provide feedback using the [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Help:Talk_pages Talk pages]
* The intellectual rules of property DO apply: provide [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlink links], not [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism plagiarisms].
|}

'''Helpful Links:'''
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d2u58vo0/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_kmj3r79h Embed an Image]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_nguojj8r/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_d9350hqg Embed a Video]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d478y7sn/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_sg3scx28 Link to an external website]

=== TABLE OF CONTENTS ===

{| width="100%" class="wikitable" style="background:aliceblue; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color: #AEDCF6;" border="1" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="2"
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Democracy</span></h2>

* [[Voting Rights in the United States]]
* [[GRSJ224/ElectoralReform|Electoral Reform in Canada]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Neoliberalism</span></h2>====

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Neoliberalism_and_the_Gentrification_of_Urban_Spaces# Neoliberalism and the Gentrification of Urban Spaces]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Post-coloniality</span></h2>====
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Post-colonial_impact_on_indigenous_health Post-colonial impact on indigenous health]
*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Reproduction</span></h2>
* [[GRSJ224/femalesterilization]]
* <nowiki/>[[Self Induced Abortion in the United States]]
* [[Sex Education in Schools]]
* Surrogacy in India
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Birth_Control_In_Canada Birth Control in Canada]
* [https://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/RepealThe8th Repeal the 8th]
*

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

<nowiki>=</nowiki>===<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Immigration</span></h2>
* [[Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp|Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp]]
* [[GRSJ224/Depiction of Immigrants in Western films|Depiction of Immigrants in Western films]]
* [[Statelessness|Statelessness]]
* [[Immigrant Women Fighting Globalization]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Feminism</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Fourth_Wave_Feminism_and_Social_Media Fourth Wave Feminism and Social Media]

* [[The Emergence of Intersectionality and Third Wave Feminism]]

* [[Rape Culture in India|Rape Culture]] in India
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/The_Sexuality_of_Black_Women# The Sexuality of Black Women]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Discrimination</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Sexual_Violence_against_Jewish_Women_during_the_Third_Reich#Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Third Reich]
* [https://wiki.ubc.ca/South_Korean_Jeju_Island_Refugee_Crisis Jeju Island Refugees Crisis in South Korea]
* [https://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/Comfort_Women_during_the_Annexation_of_Korea Comfort Women during the Annexation of Korea]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Masculinity</span></h2>
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood#Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood Portrayal of Asian Men in Hollywood]
* [[Masculinity in Films]]

*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
==Medicalization of Female attractiveness==<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Medicalization</span></h2>
* [[The Medicalization of Deafness]]
* [[Nonconsensual, Medically Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children]]
* [[Neurodiversity and the Medicalization of Twice Exceptional People]]
*
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">LGBT Families</span></h2>

*
*[[The Phenomenon of Chosen Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Creating a Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Representation of LGBT Couples in Canadian Web Series]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
|}

===ARCHIVE===
Here is an archive of the Wiki pages created by previous students: [[GRSJ224/archive|Archive of Wiki pages]]

GRSJ224/RepealThe8th

2018-07-21T05:34:12Z

BogdanVolodin: Created page with "== History == === The Formation of the Amendment === On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution..."

== History ==

=== The Formation of the Amendment ===
On May 25th, 2018 the Republic of Ireland made a historic move by voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. This is a major change for a country who has struggled with the question of abortion for over 30 years. Historically, Ireland has had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Specifically, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861, a woman who intentionally aborts her unborn child, with whichever method, could be sentenced to life in prison. Through the 1960s-70s there was a major movement towards loosening the restrictions on abortions, demonstrated by decisions such as allowing for abortion up to 28 weeks in the UK in 1967 as well as the Roe v. Wade case in the United States in 1973, which extended a woman’s right to privacy to abortion. In 1974, in the case of McGee v The Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that individuals had the right to marital privacy that extended to the importation of contraceptives. This and the fact that other parts of Europe were also making the effort to liberalize abortion laws made the deeply religious and conservative population of Ireland increasingly nervous. In order to avoid the possibility of abortion ever becoming legal in Ireland, pro-life advocates decided that the proper course of action would be to amend the constitution to include the protection of life of the unborn.
Through the utilization of political influence, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, established in 1981, was able to lobby the leaders of major political parties such Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaeland the Labour Party, to the point where they would include the proposition of the amendment should their government be elected. Eventually in 1982 when the Fianna Fáil minority government were in power, the wording for the amendment was manifested. However, Charlie Haughey’s Fianna Fáil government was soon replaced by Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael in coalition with the labour party. Then, despite criticisms of the wording on the grounds of ambiguity and unstable future from notable faces such as the Attorney General, the bill passed by a vote of 85 to 11 in the Dáil and by 14 votes to 6 in the Seanad resulting in a referendum. There was a 53.7% turnout for the referendum, which resulted in 66.7% of voters in favour of the amendment, leading to the implementation of the following text into the Constitution of Ireland under the 8th amendment and article 40 section 3 subsection 3:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

=== The X Case ===
Following 10 years of tension between the pro-life and pro-choice sides, a major case captivated the public's attention in 1992, a case that would change Ireland’s future abortion policies. A 14-year-old girl was raped and became pregnant. She planned to go to England to get an abortion as it was legal in the UK, in tandem with the fact that the pregnancy was making her extremely susceptible to suicide, thus endangering the life of the mother. Her parents were in contact with the Irish gardai about their intentions and the story reached the Attorney General, who thought it proper to take the case to the High Court in order to prohibit the girl from traveling to England with the objective of getting an abortion. The High Court acknowledged that the life of the mother was threatened by suicide while the life of the fetus was also threatened by abortion. The wording of the amendment made it extremely difficult to make a decision when the rights of the two lives in question were in contradiction. In the end, the high court decided to forbid the girl from traveling to England to get an abortion, a decision that was reversed by the Supreme court ruling that abortion was to be permitted where there was a substantial risk to the mother’s life, including suicide, that could only be prevented by an abortion. As a result. two more additions to the constitution were adopted, namely Amendment 13 and 14, which read respectively:

Relating to the text of the 8th Amendment:

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.”

“This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.”

=== Savita Halappanavar and the Repeal of the 8th Amendment ===
Though some progress was made, the issue of abortion remained extremely controversial. In addition to domestic political groups, several European Agencies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights began putting pressure on Ireland for its lack of progressive legislation concerning abortion. Before too long another tragedy struck the Irish when Savita Halappanavar, a dentist living in Galway, died as the result of a blood infection she caught due to a miscarriage. She was denied an abortion at a medical centre because as the nurse states “we are unable to perform an abortion because Ireland is a Catholic state.” Her death resulted in a much-needed legislation to protect the life of the mother since post X case changes failed to do so. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act introduced by the Fine Gael government replaced the Offences Against the Person’s Act, thus making it legal to have an abortion under limited circumstances where the mother’s life was in physical danger as judged by two medical practitioners, or at risk of suicide as judged by three medical practitioners, including two psychiatrists. Since then major movements from the pro-choice movement led to the Citizens’ Assembly under the leadership of Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy, as well as support for a referendum by many medical professionals and political parties. The Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment analyzed the issue and also suggested for a referendum to be held. On May 25th, 2018 Ireland voted by a margin of 66.4% for repeal to 33.6% against with a record turnout of 64.51% to replace the 8th amendment with the text of the 36th Amendment that read:
“Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.”

== Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the Significance of Repealing the 8th ==

=== Pro-Choice ===
Abortion is one of the most dominant issues in the political sphere and has been throughout human history. This could be attributed to the fact that the issue is based extremely heavily on ethics as it is quite literally a question of life and death. Pro-Choice takes the side of the ability for a woman to choose whether she wants to have an abortion or not. Their platform is linked with human rights, women’s rights, liberalism, and progressive thought. Their arguments include the right for women to choose what they do with their own body, the wide spectrum of reasons for wanting/needing an abortion include financial, medical, and sexual assault, and the concern over access to safe abortion. Women of all ages as well as economic and social status are affected by unwanted pregnancies. However, access to abortion varies by financial status as well as law. In many cases, women of lower financial status are more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and have less access to abortions due to financial reasons. In other cases where abortion is prohibited or heavily restricted, many women end up getting abortions from private, unsafe sources. The results are often disastrous in terms of health consequences for the mothers, as even death is not uncommon. These reasons heavily contribute to the pro-choice campaign.

=== Pro-Life ===
The Pro-Life campaign allocates most of its focus on the life of the unborn. Many of their representatives lean conservatively and are heavily influenced by religion, though the opinion on the issue varies across the entire political spectrum. The Pro-Life ideology argues that the unborn has a right to life and is not given a voice in the predicament. In their eyes, intentionally preventing a fetus from being born is the same as murdering a person, which is the most complicated argument of the abortion issue and is unlikely to ever be resolved. Furthermore, they argue that there are many psychological and physical health issues that arise as the result of abortion, most of which have been refuted by medical professionals. In fact, abortion is, in most cases, much safer than childbirth. They also claim that the morality of getting an abortion contradicts nature and the word of God. While abortion is mentioned in several sacred texts, many nations who are predominantly religious have allowed for softer abortion laws.

=== Significance ===
By repealing the 8th Amendment of their constitution, Ireland has shown once again that religion can progress with the rest of society and not remain static. As one of the most catholic dominated countries in the world, for Ireland to make progress on the abortion issue means that other countries that are heavily influenced by religious belief will consider raising the question on abortion laws. It is likely that there will be major moves made on the issue in the near future around the world.

== Sources ==

Taylo, Maeve. “Women’s Right to Health and Ireland’s Abortion Laws.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 129, no. 3, 2015, pp. 93–97.

Gilmartin, Mary, and Allen White. “Interrogating Medical Tourism: Ireland, Abortion, and Mobility Rights.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 275–280.

Qadir, Zara. “Irelands Abortion Debate.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9878, 2013, p. 1614.

Lancet, The. “Irelands Abortion Law: a Start but Not Enough.” The Lancet, vol. 382, no. 9888, 2013, p. 182., doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61584-6.

Hickey, Margaret. "Framing Ireland's Abortion Debate." Human Life Review Winter 2018: 51-5. ProQuest. Web. 21 July 2018 .

United States, Congress, “Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.” Bunreacht Na HÉireann = Constitution of Ireland.

GRSJ224

2018-07-21T03:46:08Z

BogdanVolodin: /* TABLE OF CONTENTS */

=== INTRODUCTION ===

This '''Wikispace''' is a peer-produced shared resource that will evolve as students post content relating to GRSJ224. You are responsible for creating dynamic and informative wiki pages. As you add and update information throughout the semester, originality, resourcefulness, and creativity is encouraged. The wiki will be sustained for successive semesters so that the work you contribute will be available to future students.

=== ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION ===

To download and view full details of the assignment, click [https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/xid-16358571_1 here].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_preparation.gif ||
* Read: [http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf 7 Things you should know about Wikis]
* Choose a term from the table of contents
* Confirm your selection of topic with your instructor by the '''SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES'''
* Set up your wiki page.
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_finalizing.png ||
* Continue to work towards improving and finalizing your Wiki.
* Consider the wiki as a whole and the usefulness of adding images and links.
* Check your Talk page to see if your peers provided you with any useful feedback
* Ensure your Wiki is properly cited
* Proofread your Wiki

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_research.gif ||
* Gather resources in relevance of your discoveries to class materials.
* Familiarize yourself with the wiki-authoring tools of [[GRSJ224/wikibasics|Wiki Basics]]
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_submit.gif ||
* Submit "Wikipedia Report" to your instructor in Connect

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_drafting.gif ||
* Read: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles Wikipedia's guide to Writing Better Articles]
* Write content relevant to class material.
* Tailor your page to your audience.
* Check out your peers’ draft Wikis below and provide feedback using the [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Help:Talk_pages Talk pages]
* The intellectual rules of property DO apply: provide [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlink links], not [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism plagiarisms].
|}

'''Helpful Links:'''
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d2u58vo0/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_kmj3r79h Embed an Image]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_nguojj8r/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_d9350hqg Embed a Video]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d478y7sn/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_sg3scx28 Link to an external website]

=== TABLE OF CONTENTS ===

{| width="100%" class="wikitable" style="background:aliceblue; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color: #AEDCF6;" border="1" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="2"
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Democracy</span></h2>

* [[Voting Rights in the United States]]
* [[GRSJ224/ElectoralReform|Electoral Reform in Canada]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Neoliberalism</span></h2>====

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Neoliberalism_and_the_Gentrification_of_Urban_Spaces# Neoliberalism and the Gentrification of Urban Spaces]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Post-coloniality</span></h2>====
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Post-colonial_impact_on_indigenous_health Post-colonial impact on indigenous health]
*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Reproduction</span></h2>
* [[GRSJ224/femalesterilization]]
* <nowiki/>[[Self Induced Abortion in the United States]]
* [[Sex Education in Schools]]
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Birth_Control_In_Canada Birth Control in Canada]
*

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

<nowiki>=</nowiki>===<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Immigration</span></h2>
* [[Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp|Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp]]
* [[GRSJ224/Depiction of Immigrants in Western films|Depiction of Immigrants in Western films]]
* [[Statelessness|Statelessness]]
* [[Immigrant Women Fighting Globalization]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Feminism</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Fourth_Wave_Feminism_and_Social_Media Fourth Wave Feminism and Social Media]

* [[The Emergence of Intersectionality and Third Wave Feminism]]

* [[Rape Culture in India|Rape Culture]] in India
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/The_Sexuality_of_Black_Women# The Sexuality of Black Women]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Discrimination</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Sexual_Violence_against_Jewish_Women_during_the_Third_Reich#Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Third Reich]
* [https://wiki.ubc.ca/South_Korean_Jeju_Island_Refugee_Crisis Jeju Island Refugees Crisis in South Korea]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Masculinity</span></h2>
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood#Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood Portrayal of Asian Men in Hollywood]

*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
==Medicalization of Female attractiveness==<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Medicalization</span></h2>
* [[The Medicalization of Deafness]]
* [[Nonconsensual, Medically Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children]]
* [[Neurodiversity and the Medicalization of Twice Exceptional People]]
*
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">LGBT Families</span></h2>====

*[[The Phenomenon of Chosen Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Creating a Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Representation of LGBT Couples in Canadian Web Series]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
|}

===ARCHIVE===
Here is an archive of the Wiki pages created by previous students: [[GRSJ224/archive|Archive of Wiki pages]]

GRSJ224

2018-07-21T03:35:33Z

BogdanVolodin:

=== INTRODUCTION ===

This '''Wikispace''' is a peer-produced shared resource that will evolve as students post content relating to GRSJ224. You are responsible for creating dynamic and informative wiki pages. As you add and update information throughout the semester, originality, resourcefulness, and creativity is encouraged. The wiki will be sustained for successive semesters so that the work you contribute will be available to future students.

=== ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION ===

To download and view full details of the assignment, click [https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/xid-16358571_1 here].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_preparation.gif ||
* Read: [http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf 7 Things you should know about Wikis]
* Choose a term from the table of contents
* Confirm your selection of topic with your instructor by the '''SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES'''
* Set up your wiki page.
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_finalizing.png ||
* Continue to work towards improving and finalizing your Wiki.
* Consider the wiki as a whole and the usefulness of adding images and links.
* Check your Talk page to see if your peers provided you with any useful feedback
* Ensure your Wiki is properly cited
* Proofread your Wiki

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_research.gif ||
* Gather resources in relevance of your discoveries to class materials.
* Familiarize yourself with the wiki-authoring tools of [[GRSJ224/wikibasics|Wiki Basics]]
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_submit.gif ||
* Submit "Wikipedia Report" to your instructor in Connect

|-
| https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/WS.UBC.FL.GRSJ.224.COURSECONTENT.2014S/Files%20for%20UBC%20Wiki/wiki_drafting.gif ||
* Read: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles Wikipedia's guide to Writing Better Articles]
* Write content relevant to class material.
* Tailor your page to your audience.
* Check out your peers’ draft Wikis below and provide feedback using the [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Help:Talk_pages Talk pages]
* The intellectual rules of property DO apply: provide [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlink links], not [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism plagiarisms].
|}

'''Helpful Links:'''
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d2u58vo0/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_kmj3r79h Embed an Image]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_nguojj8r/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_d9350hqg Embed a Video]
* [https://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_d478y7sn/uiconf_id/11170637/entry_id/0_sg3scx28 Link to an external website]

=== TABLE OF CONTENTS ===

{| width="100%" class="wikitable" style="background:aliceblue; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color: #AEDCF6;" border="1" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="2"
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Democracy</span></h2>

* [[Voting Rights in the United States]]
* [[GRSJ224/ElectoralReform|Electoral Reform in Canada]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Neoliberalism</span></h2>====

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Neoliberalism_and_the_Gentrification_of_Urban_Spaces# Neoliberalism and the Gentrification of Urban Spaces]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Post-coloniality</span></h2>====
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Post-colonial_impact_on_indigenous_health Post-colonial impact on indigenous health]
*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Reproduction</span></h2>
* [[GRSJ224/femalesterilization]]
* <nowiki/>[[Self Induced Abortion in the United States]]
* [[Sex Education in Schools]]
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Birth_Control_In_Canada Birth Control in Canada]
* Repeal the 8th

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

<nowiki>=</nowiki>===<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Immigration</span></h2>
* [[Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp|Behind multiculturalism in British Columbia : The history of Japanese internment camp]]
* [[GRSJ224/Depiction of Immigrants in Western films|Depiction of Immigrants in Western films]]
* [[Statelessness|Statelessness]]
* [[Immigrant Women Fighting Globalization]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Feminism</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Fourth_Wave_Feminism_and_Social_Media Fourth Wave Feminism and Social Media]

* [[The Emergence of Intersectionality and Third Wave Feminism]]

* [[Rape Culture in India|Rape Culture]] in India
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/GRSJ224/The_Sexuality_of_Black_Women# The Sexuality of Black Women]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Discrimination</span></h2>

* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Sexual_Violence_against_Jewish_Women_during_the_Third_Reich#Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Third Reich]
* [https://wiki.ubc.ca/South_Korean_Jeju_Island_Refugee_Crisis Jeju Island Refugees Crisis in South Korea]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Masculinity</span></h2>
* [http://wiki.ubc.ca/Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood#Portrayal_of_Asian_Men_in_Hollywood Portrayal of Asian Men in Hollywood]

*

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
==Medicalization of Female attractiveness==<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">Medicalization</span></h2>
* [[The Medicalization of Deafness]]
* [[Nonconsensual, Medically Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children]]
* [[Neurodiversity and the Medicalization of Twice Exceptional People]]
*
| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |

====<h2 style="margin:0; background:#2B3087; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"><span style="color:white">LGBT Families</span></h2>====

*[[The Phenomenon of Chosen Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Creating a Family in the LGBT Community]]

*[[Representation of LGBT Couples in Canadian Web Series]]

| valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;width:25%" |
|}

===ARCHIVE===
Here is an archive of the Wiki pages created by previous students: [[GRSJ224/archive|Archive of Wiki pages]]