Belfast Telegraph
Abortion was among the most divisive issues in the Republic of Ireland for decades.
It was regarded as politically toxic with various governments relying on the courts to rule on when termination of pregnancy be permitted or prohibited.
All the while it was a daily reality. Thousands of women from the 26 counties were going to the UK for terminations annually – over 3,000 in 2017. There was growing use of online abortion pills although they were illegal.
But since January this year, and the triggering of new legislation, abortion has been legally available in most counties in the South, at a level which only a few years ago many would have regarded as “liberal”.
It has not been without some controversy, but everyone is surprised by how relatively smoothly it is running. . . [Full text]