Citizens’ Assembly finally gets around to discussing abortion

Poorer women accept the pregnancy because they can’t raise €1,000 to fund a termination abroad, writes Alison O’Connor

It almost sounds like the basis for an Irish joke: How do you get almost 100 Irish people into a room for two days to discuss abortion and not have a cross word spoken? Answer: Set up a Citizen’s Assembly.

That is exactly what happened in a Dublin hotel last weekend, when the much-derided gathering of 99 citizens got down to the basics of discussing abortion in Ireland. Inside, there was a serious, calm, well-organised, working person-like atmosphere. Outside, there had been a small protest, less than a handful of people, carrying horribly graphic images. They didn’t hang around.