Pills and Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland

Summary

The use of abortion pills in activism and medicine fundamentally changed social attitudes about abortion in Ireland.

Abstract 

The Republic of Ireland lived under one of the strictest abortion bans in Europe for decades, then in 2018, their voters passed one of the most liberal abortion provision schemes in the world. Pills & Protest: Abortion Access in Ireland tells the story of how feminist activists strategically used abortion pills to help people while abortion was illegal and to influence the legal and medical changes to come. Drawing on three years of interviews with activists, doctors, and politicians in Ireland, Brenna McCaffrey illuminates the story of how the abortion pill transitioned from a controversial object to a legally recognized medical solution. The result is an energizing story—one of creative protest, passion, and activism in pursuit of reproductive freedom. Pills and Protest demonstrates how understanding medication abortion is essential to understanding reproductive healthcare in Ireland —and globally—today.

Main research questions

1. What factors influenced the legalization of abortion in Ireland in 2018?
2. How did different actors (activists, politicians, doctors) engage with the medical technology known as the abortion pill during this shift in order to enact social change?

What the research builds on

Abortion was illegal in Ireland until 2018, when a democratic referendum changed the law with over 66% of voters in favor of legalization. Much of the social science research on this topic focuses on the waning impact of the Catholic Church, as well as the influence of international human rights bodies in forcing this shift.

What the research add to the discussion

The research instead focuses on the long history of underground feminist activism, which successfully maintained a two-pronged focus on: 1) immediate access for those living under the abortion ban and 2) long-term strategy to shift cultural values and social attitudes about abortion and reproductive rights. The tool that allowed activists to achieve both these strategies was abortion pills, which challenged existing paradigms about abortion access and medical authority.

Novel methodology

Ethnographic research in Ireland from 2017–2020, including participant-observation with underground abortion pill networks, activist groups, and doctor's offices. Over 50 in-depth interviews with key actors (politicians, activists, doctors) as well as deep historical and archival research into histories of activism and abortion access.

Implications for society 

The story of Irish activists upending decades of illegal abortion is instructive for people living in states that have restrictive abortion laws (like the United States).

Implications for policy 

Adds to the large canon of research on reproductive healthcare access that shows that abortion bans and restrictions do not stop abortion from happening.

Funding

NSF Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Grant/Award Number: 1947249.