STATEMENT: Ireland's Repeal the 8th Vote
Statement of Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) on Ireland’s Eighth Amendment
Referendum Vote:
The repeal of the Eighth Amendment is long overdue and very good news for women in Ireland. Women should have access to
safe, legal abortion care, without having to leave the country.
Today’s repeal is an important first step. The proposed law put forward by the Government, however, limits abortion
after 12 weeks of pregnancy and includes a mandatory three-day waiting period. Waiting periods are medically unnecessary
and could push women past the 12-week limit. Women in Ireland have made it clear: they know their own minds and want the
ability to make their own reproductive health care choices.
###
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the international professional association of abortion providers. Our members include individuals, private and
non-profit clinics, Planned Parenthood affiliates, women’s health centers, physicians’ offices, and hospitals who
together care for approximately half the women who choose abortion in the U.S. and Canada each year. Our members also
include public hospitals and both public and private clinics in Mexico City and private clinics in Colombia. Our mission
is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care, which promotes health and justice for women.