Abortion, already illegal in practice, was constitutionally banned in a 1983 referendum -- known as the Eighth Amendment. On Saturday Ireland emphatically voted to repeal that constitutional amendment in a referendum, paving the way for legalized abortion. "If you look at 1983, when the anti-abortion clause was put into the constitution, to now, the change is just extraordinary," said Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole. He said the diminishing influence of the Catholic church, along with the urbanization of a rural society, improved access to higher education, and an increasingly vocal women's movement, had all contributed to a shift in perceptions. Saturday's referendum is the latest in a series of recent liberalizations in Ireland, which last year elected its first gay and biracial Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.

Source: CNN May 27, 2018 15:33 UTC