When Was Contraception Legalised in Ireland

Despite perceived accessibility today, a recent study by Behaviour & Attitudes found that a third of Irish women aged 18-45 do not use any form of modern contraception. Another 9% cited the use of “natural methods” approved by the pope (e.g., withdrawal and rhythm methods). This may explain why Ireland`s adolescent maternal birth rate is among the highest in the EU. Things changed dramatically in 1974 when the McGee case went to the Supreme Court. Mary McGee was a married woman with four children who had been told that future pregnancies would put her health at risk. Her doctor advised her that contraception would be the right solution, but due to Irish laws, she had to import this product. However, the contraceptive jelly she ordered was stopped by customs. She filed a lawsuit, arguing that her right to privacy had been violated, and the Supreme Court eventually agreed that she had a right to privacy with respect to her family. As we celebrate the news that contraception is now free for people aged 17 to 25, such a positive step forward in family planning has not always been welcome in Ireland. There is a long history of fighting for reproductive rights and access to contraceptives, and while welcome progress remains, there are still gaps to be filled.

But this case of artificial contraception is a mortal sin, I think women just don`t tell the priest anymore. I mean, are the 30,000 people on our mailing list all non-Catholics? And what about the 70,000 Irish women on the pill, are they all non-Catholic? And if they only use the pill as a cycle regulator, then we need to have the most unhealthy women in the world. 85 It must be noted that the contraceptive pill has become an important symbol of family planning in the debates on the legalization of contraception. Although there has been some research on the role of politicians and the medical profession in family planning debates, less attention has been paid to the importance of contraceptive activists and the importance of feminist groups in these debates in the mid-1970s. 89 Through a review of the literature of these groups and oral interviews with former members, I try to show how the contraceptive pill became a major focus of their campaigns. Although the two groups have different views on the legalization of contraception, the side effects of the birth control pill have been a major focus for members on both sides of the debate. Although condoms retained a stubborn attachment to conservative Catholic notions of promiscuity, their main legal meanings changed in 1985. The law now recognizes a certain role for condoms in preventing unintended pregnancies outside marriage. Footnote 14 A highly controversial referendum on abortion in 1983 made this transition possible; Paradoxically, political acceptance of contraceptive access is stabilizing.

A conservative Catholic organisation, the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign, had successfully lobbied for a far-reaching fetal personality provision to be included in the constitution – the Eighth Amendment – that banned abortion and sparked a recurring debate that dominated the reproductive rights discourse in Ireland for 35 years. Footnote 15 The role of virtuous motherhood oversight has shifted from contraception to the new constitutional ban on abortion. As one source told us, “I think even in the early `80s, even those who were passionate about condoms were silent” (DF, Director, Family Planning Services Ltd.; Interview with authors, Dublin, 25 June 2014). The abortion law has also created new justifications for expanding access to contraceptives. In 1985, some proponents of liberalizing access to contraception argued that it was a lesser evil than abortion and a responsible counterpoint. Others said it was a necessary safety net given the abortion ban. Footnote 16 My study will provide insight into Irish citizens` experiences and attitudes towards birth control, assess how they have been shaped by Ireland`s social and cultural context, while shedding light on related aspects of everyday life such as sexuality and marriage. The stories of activists who supported the legalization of contraception and those who opposed it, as well as those who were prosecuted for illegally importing and selling contraceptives and who have received little attention from scientists so far, will also be examined.

Betty Hilliard`s study of 105 women in Cork City suggested that the women in her sample relied on “combinations of luck, natural methods and the collaboration of their partner to reduce their number of pregnancies”. 65 However, there is evidence that some working-class women knew how to access the contraceptive pill. Marian Larragy, a member of the Contraception Action Programme (CAP), an offshoot of the feminist group IWU, which illegally distributed contraceptives and contraceptive information from 1976, remembers visiting residents of apartments in Ballymun, one of Dublin`s poorest neighbourhoods, to collect signatures for a CAP petition. She recalls meeting a young mother who had been in her class at primary school, who “signed the petition and told me that everyone in the apartments was getting the pill to make their periods regular.” 66 I think there is a certain feeling that if you do something, we know what we are doing, and we will find out the reasons a little later. But I think we, I think it was inevitable that they would go after us. I was surprised that they didn`t pursue us because of other things like the youth clinic and things like that, but it was harder for them to make us aware of these things, but yes, I think we knew they were coming (JO`B, youth manager and press officer, IFPA, interview with Máiréad Enright via Skype, 19. March 2014.) In the early days of contraception (which then as now meant mainly the pill), sympathetic doctors outside the Merrion Square Family Planning Clinic prescribed it without much knowledge of dosages. At least they never asked me about my health, my period, or my blood pressure.

That`s why one day I almost fainted while riding a motorcycle around Stephens Green. That was in 1964 and this high-dose pill was later withdrawn. Years later, I found a combination of estrogen and progesterone that worked for me, and I used it successfully until I stopped getting pregnant. 117 middle-class men and women were able to navigate the legislation if they had access to a family planning clinic or if they had the knowledge of a sympathetic doctor or the language they would have to use to get a prescription for the birth control pill. Deirdre Foley`s recent major study of family planning in Dublin following Humanae Vitae suggests that some Catholics who attended private family planning clinics chose to “silently ignore Humanae Vitae and use artificial means of birth control.” 68 In addition, some men and women were able to cross the border into Northern Ireland in order to obtain contraceptives and bring them back to the Republic illegally; The Irish Women`s Liberation Movement (later IWLM) contraceptive train protest highlighted this hypocrisy. 69 However, access to contraceptives was difficult for the majority. According to Monica McEnroy, she wrote in 1968 in Woman`s Way magazine: “Unfortunately, there are many women who want effective control of contraception. Because they tend to be poor or because they live in the countryside, they have no hope of reaping the undisputed advantage of not having pregnancy worries. 70 For Ruth Riddick, as for many other women activists for the legalization of contraception, this injustice in access to contraception led her to engage in campaigns.