Legal protection of the life of a conceived child in Ireland – from the constitutional protection of the life of a nasciturus to abortion on demand
Keywords
abortion in Ireland, child conceived, nasciturus, the right to lifeAbstract
This article presents the evolution of Irish law in the area of protection of the life of the unborn child, tracing the path from one of the most restrictive abortion regulations in Europe to the legalisation of abortion on demand. The analysis covers the historical development of abortion law in Ireland, with particular emphasis on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland introduced in 1983, which for nearly four decades equalised the right to life of a pregnant woman with the right to life of an unborn child. The existence of such restrictive abortion laws has often led to a conflict between the right to life guaranteed to the nasciturus and the rights of the pregnant woman. The article analyses key decisions of Irish courts and international bodies relating to the scope of legal protection available to a child conceived in Ireland, including the landmark case of Attorney General v. X, which played a groundbreaking role in the debate on the permissibility of abortion. An analysis of the reasons for the profound transformation of the legal system protecting the life of a conceived child in Ireland could not be carried out without reference to the case of Savita Halappanavar, whose death, as a result of the refusal to terminate her pregnancy in a life-threatening situation, became a turning point in the public discourse on abortion law in Ireland.
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