Ireland’s Vote to Legalize Abortion Reflects a Nation in Transition

Expected referendum result in favor of repealing a ban on abortion comes after years of change in attitudes

DUBLIN—Ireland’s landslide vote in favor of allowing abortion revealed a country that has undergone a profound and rapid transformation from a conservative, deeply Catholic nation to an increasingly secular one that is steadily embracing the liberal mores of the rest of Europe.

Exit polls showing the Irish voted overwhelmingly Friday to lift a constitutional ban on abortion were greeted with astonishment across a country where abortion has long been a deeply divisive issue.

...