Ireland's abortion debate proves how deeply the country trades on shame

Campaigners protest in support of legal abortion in Northern Ireland, London
Campaigners protest in support of legal abortion in Northern Ireland, London Credit: REUTERS/Marko Djurica

It's impossible to describe Ireland's abortion debate as anything but just sad. While politicians and religious fundamentalists wring their hands over matters of legislation and dogma, it’s the personal stories of Irish women and girls travelling out of the country to terminate their pregnancies that linger in the background; stories that, until a few years ago, largely went untold.

Occasionally, an Irish woman would talk about an abortion. But silence begets silence, and Ireland’s national sport is sweeping things under the carpet.

In the wake of the marriage equality referendum in 2015, though, something changed. LGBT people and couples stepped forward throughout that campaign to expose themselves...

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