The Guardian: Urban v rural: can cities protect reproductive rights?
“The run-up to Ireland’s abortion vote has revealed a divide already at the fore in the U.S., Italy, and Poland — where urban policymakers are standing up against state conservatism. … On 25 May, Ireland will vote on whether to repeal the eighth amendment to its constitution — a clause that protects the right to life of the unborn — and clear a path to legalizing abortion in the country. The question challenges the Irish state’s conservative, patriarchal foundations, from which many people in Ireland — its urban dwellers in particular — feel increasingly disconnected…” (Agnew, 5/16).

Washington Post: How an Irish-American woman’s legal case helped spur Ireland’s abortion referendum
“…In June 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that by compelling [Amanda Mellet] to carry a dying fetus to term or travel abroad for an abortion, Ireland subjected her to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, while also violating her right to privacy. The U.N. decision required Ireland, for the first time, to compensate a woman for the expenses and emotional distress tied to an abortion. And it called on Ireland to amend its laws criminalizing abortion, including its constitution, if necessary…” (Stanley-Becker, 5/17).