Three referendums were held simultaneously in
Ireland on 25 November 1992, each on a proposed amendment of the
Irish constitution. They were enumerated as the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth amendments.
The proposed twelfth and thirteenth amendments were held to reverse differing elements of the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
's decision in the
X case
''Attorney General v X'', 992IESC 1; 9921 IR 1, (more commonly known as the "X Case") was a landmark Irish Supreme Court case which established the right of Irish women to an abortion if a pregnant woman's life was at risk because of pregnanc ...
in which the Supreme Court held that a risk of suicide by a pregnant woman could constitute a risk to her health which would justify an abortion, and that the courts had to power to grant an injunction preventing a pregnant woman from travelling abroad for an abortion. The fourteenth amendment also related to abortion and was introduced to reverse decision by the courts in the abortion information cases. In these cases — beginning with ''Attorney-General (Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) v Open Door Counselling Ltd.''
988
Year 988 ( CMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Fall – Emperor Basil II, supported by a contingent of 6,000 Varangians ...
IR 593. — the courts had granted injunctions preventing individuals from distributing contact information for foreign abortion clinics.
The proposed twelfth amendment was rejected by the electorate while both the thirteenth and fourteenth passed.
Twelfth amendment
The Twelfth Amendment proposed that the possibility of suicide was not a sufficient threat to justify an abortion. The wording of the proposed amendment was:
The proposal was rejected.
Thirteenth amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment specifies that the prohibition of
abortion would not limit
freedom of travel
Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...
from
Ireland to other countries where a person might legally obtain an abortion. The wording of the proposed amendment was:
The proposal was approved.
Fourteenth amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment specifies that Irish citizens have the freedom to pursue and learn about abortion services in other countries. The wording of the proposed amendment was:
The proposal was approved.
See also
*
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
*
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
*
History of the Republic of Ireland
*
X Case
''Attorney General v X'', 992IESC 1; 9921 IR 1, (more commonly known as the "X Case") was a landmark Irish Supreme Court case which established the right of Irish women to an abortion if a pregnant woman's life was at risk because of pregnanc ...
*
Abortion in the Republic of Ireland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1992 11 Irish constitutional referendums
1992 in Irish law
1992 in Irish politics
1992 referendums
Ireland 1992
November 1992 events in Europe
Constitutional 1992