Abortion legislation: What is the Eighth Amendment?

The Eighth Amendment is a subsection in the Irish Constitution, Article 40.3.3.

It was entered into the Constitution, under the ‘Fundamental Rights’ heading, in October 1983 following a referendum on abortion.

It reads as: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

Article 40.3.3, is commonly referred to as the Eighth Amendment because it was the eighth time our Constitution was amended.

It gives effect to a constitutional ban on abortion.