Ready for repeal?

Historically, Ireland has been heavily influenced by the teachings of the Catholic Church. Recent times have seen a sharp decline in Catholic influence in Ireland: a 2012 Red C poll saw the amount of individuals who consider themselves “a religious person” drop to 47%, down from 69% in 2005. A major result of this step away from the traditional teachings of the Church, particularly with regard to termination of pregnancy, has led to a new movement throughout Ireland: a campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution. At present, the Irish Constitution “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”. Therefore, abortion is effectively illegal in Ireland, although there are some very tightly-regulated exceptions to this rule. The recent repeal campaign is calling for a change to the Constitution to legalise abortion in Ireland. As many as three-quarters of Irish people say they would support a repeal of the Eighth Amendment; however, independently of personal opinion, one must consider how the legalisation of abortion would impact on the health service. From this perspective, is Ireland really ready to repeal?