Fourthwrite .......................Issue No. 9

The March 2002 Referendum

On 6th March a referendum held in the South of Ireland to insert an amendment to Article 40.3.3 of the constitution was defeated. The aim of the amendment was to roll back the situation that exists at present where it is lawful for a woman to have an abortion in this state if she is suicidal.  This is the second time in ten years that the attempt to roll back the Supreme Court judgement in the X case has failed.

The No vote won by a margin of approx 10,000 votes, mirroring the closeness of the vote in the divorce referendum in the mid-Nineties when the Irish people voted Yes for divorce by a margin of approx 9000 votes.

The result in this referendum reveals once again a clear urban/rural divide with Dublin and other urban centres resoundingly returning a liberal No vote and vice versa - a conservative Yes from the country.  The Dublin vote was key. In Dublin forty-eight percent came out to vote, in a low overall turnout, as against 42% in the rest of the country.

An additional factor contributing to the success of the No campaign was the fact that the pro-life lobby was split, the majority taking the Catholic Bishops position of support for the amendment, while a small right-wing rump - Dana et al - took a position of opposition on the grounds that the amendment was too liberal!

It is unlikely that this result will have much impact on the election campaign already under way with the government parties set to make a successful return. Fianna Fail has consistently polled high in about nine Irish Times/MRBI polls over the past two years. Other issues are likely to dominate the campaign as indicated by the latest opinion poll conducted last week which showed abortion (unfortunately) scoring last in a list of concerns in the public mind.

The defeat of the government’s proposal in this referendum means that the status quo remains i.e. that suicide remains a ground on which abortion may be permitted in this country. While we welcome the defeat of this disgraceful attempt of the government to roll back the gains - albeit small - that resulted from the Supreme Court judgement in the X case, nevertheless it will make no difference to the ever- increasing numbers of women who travel to Britain for abortions – 6000 a year and rising. The only way women will truly have the right to choose is for abortion to be made available on demand, freely and legally here in this country. Only then can we ensure it is not just a service for the rich but will accommodate the needs of working class women as well.