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NEU Senior Regional Support Officer
Repeal the 8th: a landmark step forward for Irish women
Yes campaigners celebrate in Dublin Castle as Ireland has voted to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution which prohibits abortions unless a mother's life is in danger.

ON Friday May 25, the Republic of Ireland voted in a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, introduced in 1983, which prohibits and criminalises abortion by claiming to recognise an equal right to life between a pregnant woman and a foetus.

The vote, with 64 per cent in favour, followed a huge campaign by feminist groups and the labour movement to improve women’s rights by allowing abortions.

While the Irish parliament still has to bring in a law on the matter, the referendum’s success means that women in Ireland may be able to access legal abortions there as opposed to being turned into criminals.

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