The Pro-Life Amendment Campaign (PLAC) was an
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
advocacy organisation
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...
established in
Ireland in 1981. It campaigned in favour of the
Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, which was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on the 7 October of the same year.
Membership
The organisation set up several other organisations:
* Congress of Catholic Secondary School Parents' Associations
* Irish Catholic Doctors' Guild
* Guild of Catholic Nurses
* Guild of Catholic Pharmacists
* Catholic Young Men's Society
* St Thomas More Society
* Irish Pro-Life Movement
* National Association of the Ovulation Method
* Council of Social Concern (COSC)
* Irish Responsible Society
* Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC)
* St Joseph’s Young Priests Society
* Christian Brothers Schools Parents' Federation
They attended a meeting chaired by the leader of the
Knights of Saint Columbanus
The Order of the Knights of Saint Columbanus () is an Irish national Catholic fraternal organisation. Founded by Canon James K. O'Neill in Belfast, Ireland, in 1915, it was named in honour of the Irish saint, Columbanus. Initially established ...
on 21 January 1981. The meeting was called by John O'Reilly, a former Knight of Columbanus who had campaigned against contraception and the
Irish Family Planning Association in the 1970s. It was officially launched at a press conference chaired by Dr Julia Vaughan (a gynaecologist and former nun) on 27 April 1981.
Elected officers of the organisation were: Julia Vaughan (Irish Catholic Doctors' Guild, chairman), Michael Shortall (Catholic Young Men's Society, secretary), Dennis Barror (Irish Responsible Society, treasurer).
Campaign
Shortly after its launch, PLAC delegations met separately with
Fianna Fáil's
Charlie Haughey
Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...
,
Fine Gael's
Garret FitzGerald
Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987, and ...
and the Labour Party's
Frank Cluskey.
After an acrimonious referendum campaign, the amendment was passed by 67% voting in favour to 33% voting against.
Aftermath
Key members of the campaign went on to establish the
Pro Life Campaign in 1992.
See also
*
Abortion in the Republic of Ireland
*
Youth Defence
References
{{Abortion in the Republic of Ireland
Anti-abortion organisations in the Republic of Ireland
1981 establishments in Ireland
Organizations established in 1981