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Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland are only possible by way ofreferendum. A proposal to amend theConstitution of Ireland must be initiated as a bill inDáil Éireann, be passed by both Houses of theOireachtas (parliament), then submitted to a referendum, and finally signed into law by thepresident of Ireland. Since the constitution entered into force on 29 December 1937, there have been 32 amendments to the constitution.
Aside from amendments to the Constitution itself, the Constitution also provides for referendums on ordinarybills; this is known as an ordinary referendum. This provision has never been used.
The procedure for amending the constitution is specified in Article 46. A proposed amendment must take the form of a bill to amend the constitution initiated inDáil Éireann, thehouse of representatives of theOireachtas. It must then be passed or deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. TheThird Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1958, a proposal to alter the voting system, did not pass theSeanad but was deemed to have passed the Seanad 90 days after it was sent by the Dáil. After passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas, theMinister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage must set a date for the referendum not less than thirty days and not more than ninety days after the date of the order.[1]
TheElectoral Commission has functions to give a general explanation of the subject matter and text of the referendum and promote public awareness of the referendum and encourage the public to vote.[2] From 1998 to 2023, these functions were previously carried out by aReferendum Commission established for each referendum.
A simple majority of votes cast is sufficient to carry an amendment, with no minimum turnout required for a constitutional referendum to be considered valid.[3] The vote is conducted by secret ballot. A proposal to amend the constitution put to a referendum must not contain any other proposal. While British citizens resident in the state may vote in a general election, only Irish citizens can participate in a referendum.
Once the referendum count has concluded the referendum returning officer signs a provisional referendum certificate, and publishes a copy inIris Oifigiúil.[4] Anyone wishing to challenge the results of the referendum then has seven days to apply to theHigh Court for leave to present a referendum petition.[5] If no one makes such an application, if leave is not granted, or if a petition is dismissed, the referendum certificate becomes final.
When the referendum passed and the final certificate has issued, the amendment must be signed into law by the President "forthwith".[6] Provided that the correct procedure has been complied with, the President cannot veto an amendment. The dates given for the amendments listed in this article are, unless otherwise stated, the dates on which they were signed into law. The shortest gap between the referendum and signing into law was twelve days for the 18th, 19th and 20th amendments. The longest was 899 days for the 31st amendment. No referendum has ever been annulled by the courts.
TheNineteenth Amendment, passed in May 1998, introduced a novel method of amendment. Its provisions allowed the later amendment toArticles 2 and 3 of the Constitution in 1999. The Nineteenth Amendment did not itself amend those articles, but rather introduced a temporary special mechanism by which theGovernment could order their amendment once it was satisfied that certain commitments made by other parties to theGood Friday Agreement had been complied with. The sections added to the text of the Constitution which provided for this later amendment to Articles no longer appear in the published official text of the Constitution, in line with their own provisions.
A similar method would have been used with theTwenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2001 to restrict abortion, which was rejected. The proposedThirty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2013 to abolish Seanad Éireann involved later amendments which would have taken effect after the next general election.
TheThirty-third Amendment that established theCourt of Appeal had amendments which became part of the text only on the later establishment of the Court, and transitory provisions which would not appear in later printed official versions.[7]
As a transitional measure, for the first three years after the election of the firstPresident of Ireland a bill to amend the Constitution could be passed by the Oireachtas as an ordinary act. An amendment billbefore the election of the first President (on 25 June 1938)would have required a referendum. To prevent the Oireachtas abusing this provision, the President had the power to refer such a bill to the people. The First and Second Amendments were adopted in this way; PresidentDouglas Hyde chose to sign each into law without referendum. The three-year limit wasentrenched to prevent it being extended without referendum. Since 25 June 1941, the third anniversary of President Hyde's election, every amendment has had to be put to a referendum after its passage through the Oireachtas.
The following table lists all amendments to the Constitution, and all past referendums relating to the Constitution. In general it does not list proposed amendments which were not passed by the Oireachtas, for which see the separatelist of failed amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. The exception is the 2001Twenty-second Amendment Bill, listed below to explain the gap in the numbering of subsequent amendments.
Color key:
| Proposal | Enactment date | Subject | Referendum date | Electorate | Total poll | (%)[fn 1] | For | (%)[fn 2] | Against | (%)[fn 2] | Spoilt | (%)[fn 3] | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft Constitution | 1 July 1937[fn 4] | Adoption of the Constitution | 1 July 1937 | 1,775,055 | 1,346,207 | 75.8 | 685,105 | 56.5 | 526,945 | 43.5 | 134,157 | 10.0 | [8][9] |
| The draft Constitution was not abill, but was passed byDáil Éireann in the same manner as a bill before it was submitted for approval by the electorate. | |||||||||||||
| 1st Amendment | 2 September 1939 | Definition ofwar | N/A[fn 5] | [8] | |||||||||
| Extended the definition of "time of war" to include a war in which the state is not a participant. This was to allow the Government toexercise emergency powers during theSecond World War, in whichthe state was neutral. | |||||||||||||
| 2nd Amendment | 30 May 1941 | Textual adjustments | N/A[fn 5] | [8] | |||||||||
| Anomnibus bill with a variety of mostly minor textual amendments. Some changes were only to the Irish text, to correspond more closely to the sense of the English text. | |||||||||||||
| 3rd Amendment Bill | N/A | Elections: Dáil: electoral system | 17 June 1959 | 1,678,450 | 979,531 | 58.4 | 453,322 | 48.2 | 486,989 | 51.8 | 39,220 | 4.0 | [10] |
| Proposal to alter theelectoral system for elections toDáil Éireann from the multi-membersingle transferable vote (STV) to the single-memberFirst Past the Post (FPTP) system. It also proposed to establish an independent commission forboundary delimitation ofDáil constituencies. | |||||||||||||
| 3rd Amendment Bill | N/A | Elections: Dáil: constituency boundaries | 16 October 1968 | 1,717,389 | 1,129,477 | 65.8 | 424,185 | 39.2 | 656,803 | 60.8 | 48,489 | 4.3 | [10] |
| Proposed to allow greatermalapportionment in favour of rural areas inboundary delimitation ofDáil constituencies. | |||||||||||||
| 4th Amendment Bill | N/A | Elections: Dáil: electoral system | 16 October 1968 | 1,717,389 | 1,129,606 | 65.8 | 423,496 | 39.2 | 657,898 | 60.8 | 48,212 | 4.3 | [10] |
| A second proposal to alter the Dáil electoral system from STV to FPTP. | |||||||||||||
| 3rd Amendment | 8 June 1972 | Treaty: Europe: Accession | 10 May 1972 | 1,783,604 | 1,264,278 | 70.9 | 1,041,890 | 83.1 | 211,891 | 16.9 | 10,497 | 0.8 | [8][10] |
| Permitted the state to join theEuropean Communities. | |||||||||||||
| 4th Amendment | 5 January 1973 | Elections: franchise:voting age | 7 December 1972 | 1,783,604 | 903,439 | 50.7 | 724,836 | 84.6 | 131,514 | 15.4 | 47,089 | 5.2 | [8][10] |
| Reduced the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. | |||||||||||||
| 5th Amendment | 5 January 1973 | Recognition of religions | 7 December 1972 | 1,783,604 | 903,659 | 50.7 | 721,003 | 84.4 | 133,430 | 15.6 | 49,326 | 5.5 | [8][10] |
| Removed reference to the "special position" of theCatholic Church and to other named denominations.[8] | |||||||||||||
| 6th Amendment | 3 August 1979 | Adoption board | 5 July 1979 | 2,179,466 | 623,476 | 28.6 | 601,694 | 99.0 | 6,265 | 1.0 | 15,517 | 2.5 | [8][10] |
| Reversed a 1977 finding that certain orders made by theadoption board were unconstitutional. | |||||||||||||
| 7th Amendment | 3 August 1979 | Seanad:university constituencies | 5 July 1979 | 2,179,466 | 622,646 | 28.6 | 552,600 | 92.4 | 45,484 | 7.6 | 24,562 | 3.9 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the Seanad representation ofDublin University and theNational University to be extended to graduates ofother third-level institutions. This provision was not invoked until 2024, with the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024:[11] . | |||||||||||||
| 8th Amendment | 7 October 1983 | Abortion: recognised theequal right to life of the unborn | 7 September 1983 | 2,358,651 | 1,265,994 | 53.7 | 841,233 | 66.9 | 416,136 | 33.1 | 8,625 | 0.7 | [8][10] |
| Gave constitutional recognition to the equal right to life of the unborn to entrench the statutory prohibition of abortion. Repealed on 18 September 2018, upon enactment of the 36th Amendment. | |||||||||||||
| 9th Amendment | 2 August 1984 | Elections: franchise:votes for non-citizens | 14 June 1984 | 2,399,257 | 1,138,895 | 47.5 | 828,483 | 75.4 | 270,250 | 24.6 | 40,162 | 3.5 | [8][10] |
| Permitted legislation to be enacted allowing citizens of other countries to vote in elections for Dáil Éireann. | |||||||||||||
| 10th Amendment Bill | N/A | Rights:Divorce | 26 June 1986 | 2,436,836 | 1,482,644 | 60.8 | 538,279 | 36.5 | 935,843 | 63.5 | 8,522 | 0.6 | [10] |
| Proposed to remove the constitutional ban on divorce. The ban was eventually lifted by the Fifteenth Amendment in 1996. | |||||||||||||
| 10th Amendment | 22 June 1987 | Treaty: Europe:Single European Act | 26 May 1987 | 2,461,790 | 1,085,304 | 44.1 | 755,423 | 69.9 | 324,977 | 30.1 | 4,904 | 0.5 | [8][10] |
| Permitted the state to ratify theSingle European Act. | |||||||||||||
| 11th Amendment | 16 July 1992 | Treaty: Europe:Maastricht Treaty | 18 June 1992 | 2,542,841 | 1,457,219 | 57.3 | 1,001,076 | 69.1 | 448,655 | 30.9 | 7,488 | 0.5 | [8][10] |
| Permitted the state to ratify theMaastricht Treaty (the Treaty on European Union). | |||||||||||||
| 12th Amendment Bill | N/A | Abortion: exclusion of suicide | 25 November 1992 | 2,542,841 | 1,733,309 | 68.2 | 572,177 | 34.6 | 1,079,297 | 65.4 | 81,835 | 4.7 | [10] |
| Proposed to specify that a pregnancy may be terminated in the case of a real and substantial risk of life to the mother, but not in the case of a risk of suicide. This would have reversed part of the 1992 Supreme Court judgment in theX Case, which had held that abortion was permissible in the case of a risk of suicide. | |||||||||||||
| 13th Amendment | 23 December 1992 | Abortion:right to travel | 25 November 1992 | 2,542,841 | 1,733,821 | 68.2 | 1,035,308 | 62.4 | 624,059 | 37.6 | 74,454 | 4.3 | [8][10] |
| Specified that the prohibition of abortion would not limit freedom of travel in and out of the state. Repealed on 18 September 2018, upon enactment of the 36th Amendment. | |||||||||||||
| 14th Amendment | 23 December 1992 | Abortion:right to information | 25 November 1992 | 2,542,841 | 1,732,433 | 68.1 | 992,833 | 59.9 | 665,106 | 40.1 | 74,494 | 4.3 | [8][10] |
| Specified that the prohibition of abortion would not limit the right to distribute information about abortion services in foreign countries. Repealed on 18 September 2018, upon enactment of the 36th Amendment. | |||||||||||||
| 15th Amendment | 17 June 1996 | Rights: Divorce | 24 November 1995 | 2,628,834 | 1,633,942 | 62.2 | 818,842 | 50.3 | 809,728 | 49.7 | 5,372 | 0.3 | [8][10] |
| Removed the constitutional ban on divorce, but retained certain restrictions on its occurrence. | |||||||||||||
| 16th Amendment | 12 December 1996 | Rights:bail restrictions | 28 November 1996 | 2,659,895 | 777,586 | 29.2 | 579,740 | 74.8 | 194,968 | 25.2 | 2,878 | 0.4 | [8][10] |
| Permitted a court to refuse someone bail if it suspected they would commit a serious criminal offence while at liberty. This reversed a 1965 Supreme Court ruling. | |||||||||||||
| 17th Amendment | 14 November 1997 | Cabinet confidentiality | 30 October 1997 | 2,688,316 | 1,268,043 | 47.2 | 632,777 | 52.6 | 569,175 | 47.4 | 66,091 | 5.2 | [8][10] |
| To reverse a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that meetings ofthe cabinet were absolutely confidential, and to permit theHigh Court to order the disclosure of cabinet discussions in certain circumstances. | |||||||||||||
| 18th Amendment | 3 June 1998 | Treaty: Europe:Treaty of Amsterdam | 22 May 1998 | 2,747,088 | 1,543,930 | 56.2 | 932,632 | 61.7 | 578,070 | 38.3 | 33,228 | 2.2 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to ratify theTreaty of Amsterdam. | |||||||||||||
| 19th Amendment | 3 June 1998 /2 December 1999[fn 6] | Treaty:Good Friday Agreement | 22 May 1998 | 2,747,088 | 1,545,395 | 56.3 | 1,442,583 | 94.4 | 85,748 | 5.6 | 17,064 | 1.1 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to be bound by theGood Friday Agreement and provided for the conditional amendment ofArticles 2 and 3 of the Constitution, which subsequently came into effect on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. | |||||||||||||
| 20th Amendment | 23 June 1999 | Elections:Local government | 11 June 1999 | 2,791,415 | 1,425,881 | 51.1 | 1,024,850 | 77.8 | 291,965 | 22.2 | 109,066 | 7.6 | [8][10] |
| Provided that local government elections must occur every five years. | |||||||||||||
| 21st Amendment | 27 March 2002 | Rights:Death penalty | 7 June 2001 | 2,867,960 | 997,885 | 34.8 | 610,455 | 62.1 | 372,950 | 37.9 | 14,480 | 1.5 | [8][10] |
| Introduced a constitutional ban on legislation for capital punishment, even in a time of national emergency. | |||||||||||||
| 22nd Amendment Bill | N/A | Courts: judges: discipline | N/A | [13] | |||||||||
| Proposed to establish a body for the investigation of judges and to amendthe procedure for the removal of judges. It was introduced to the Oireachtas but lapsed after itssecond stage. | |||||||||||||
| 23rd Amendment | 27 March 2002 | Treaty:Rome Statute of the ICC | 7 June 2001 | 2,867,960 | 997,565 | 34.8 | 629,234 | 64.2 | 350,512 | 35.8 | 17,819 | 1.8 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to ratify the Statute of theInternational Criminal Court. | |||||||||||||
| 24th Amendment Bill | N/A | Treaty: Europe:Treaty of Nice | 7 June 2001 | 2,867,960 | 997,826 | 34.8 | 453,461 | 46.1 | 529,478 | 53.9 | 14,887 | 1.5 | [10] |
| Proposed to allow the state to ratify theTreaty of Nice. Voters reversed this decision when they adopted the Twenty-sixth Amendment in 2002. | |||||||||||||
| 25th Amendment Bill | N/A | Abortion: exclusion of suicide | 6 March 2002 | 2,923,918 | 1,254,175 | 42.9 | 618,485 | 49.6 | 629,041 | 50.4 | 6,649 | 0.5 | [10] |
| This was a second attempt to strengthen the constitutional ban on abortion and to prevent risk of suicide being invoked as grounds for an abortion. | |||||||||||||
| 26th Amendment | 7 November 2002 | Treaty: Europe: Treaty of Nice | 19 October 2002 | 2,923,918 | 1,446,588 | 49.5 | 906,317 | 62.9 | 534,887 | 37.1 | 5,384 | 0.4 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to ratify theNice Treaty. | |||||||||||||
| 27th Amendment | 24 June 2004 | Irish nationality | 11 June 2004 | 3,041,688 | 1,823,434 | 59.9 | 1,427,520 | 79.2 | 375,695 | 20.8 | 20,219 | 1.1 | [8][10] |
| Abolished constitutionaljus soli right to Irish nationality. | |||||||||||||
| 28th Amendment Bill | N/A | Treaty: Europe:Treaty of Lisbon | 12 June 2008 | 3,051,278 | 1,621,037 | 53.1 | 752,451 | 46.6 | 862,415 | 53.4 | 6,171 | 0.4 | [10] |
| Proposed to allow the state to ratify theTreaty of Lisbon. Voters reversed this decision when they adopted the Twenty-eighth Amendment in 2009. | |||||||||||||
| 28th Amendment | 15 October 2009 | Treaty: Europe: Treaty of Lisbon | 2 October 2009 | 3,078,032 | 1,816,098 | 58.0 | 1,214,268 | 67.1 | 594,606 | 32.9 | 7,224 | 0.4 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to ratify theTreaty of Lisbon. | |||||||||||||
| 29th Amendment | 17 November 2011 | Courts: judges: remuneration | 27 October 2011 | 3,191,157 | 1,785,707 | 55.9 | 1,393,877 | 79.7 | 354,134 | 20.3 | 37,696 | 2.1 | [8][10] |
| Relaxed the prohibition on the reduction of the salaries of Irish judges. | |||||||||||||
| 30th Amendment Bill | N/A | Oireachtas inquiries | 27 October 2011 | 3,191,157 | 1,785,208 | 55.9 | 812,008 | 46.7 | 928,175 | 53.3 | 45,025 | 2.5 | [10] |
| Proposed to reversea 2002 Supreme Court ruling which prevented Oireachtas inquiries from making findings critical of individuals called to give evidence. | |||||||||||||
| 30th Amendment | 27 June 2012 | Treaty: Europe:European Fiscal Compact | 31 May 2012 | 3,144,828 | 1,591,385 | 50.6 | 955,091 | 60.3 | 629,088 | 39.7 | 7,206 | 0.5 | [8][10] |
| Allowed the state to ratify theEuropean Fiscal Compact. | |||||||||||||
| 31st Amendment | 28 April 2015 | Rights:Children | 10 November 2012 | 3,183,686 | 1,066,239 | 33.5 | 615,731 | 58.0 | 445,863 | 42.0 | 4,645 | 0.4 | [8][10] |
| A general statement of children's rights, and a provision intended to secure the power of the state to take children into care who are at risk of abuse or neglect from their parents. | |||||||||||||
| 32nd Amendment Bill | N/A | Seanad: abolition | 4 October 2013 | 3,167,484 | 1,240,729 | 39.2 | 591,937 | 48.3 | 634,437 | 51.7 | 14,355 | 1.2 | [10] |
| Proposed to abolishSeanad Éireann. | |||||||||||||
| 33rd Amendment | 1 November 2013 | Courts: new Court of Appeal | 4 October 2013 | 3,167,484 | 1,240,135 | 39.2 | 795,008 | 65.2 | 425,047 | 34.8 | 20,080 | 1.6 | [8][10] |
| Mandates a newCourt of Appeal above theHigh Court and below theSupreme Court. | |||||||||||||
| 34th Amendment | 29 August 2015 | Rights:Same-sex marriage | 22 May 2015 | 3,221,681 | 1,949,725 | 60.5 | 1,201,607 | 62.1 | 734,300 | 37.9 | 13,818 | 0.7 | [8][10] |
| Prohibits restriction on civil marriage based on sex (civil partnership had been established under a2010 statute). | |||||||||||||
| 35th Amendment Bill | N/A | Presidency: reduceage of candidacy to 21. | 22 May 2015 | 3,221,681 | 1,949,438 | 60.5 | 520,898 | 26.9 | 1,412,602 | 73.1 | 15,938 | 0.8 | [14][10] |
| Proposed to lower the minimum age for the presidency from 35 to 21. | |||||||||||||
| 36th Amendment | 18 September 2018 | Abortion: Repeal of the 8th Amendment | 25 May 2018 | 3,367,556 | 2,159,655 | 64.1 | 1,429,981 | 66.4 | 723,632 | 33.6 | 6,042 | 0.3 | [10][15] |
| Removed clauses added by the 8th, 13th, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution and allowed the Oireachtas to legislate for the regulation of termination of pregnancy. | |||||||||||||
| 37th Amendment | 27 November 2018 | Blasphemy | 26 October 2018 | 3,401,652 | 1,489,694 | 43.9 | 951,650 | 64.9 | 515,808 | 35.1 | 22,236 | 1.5 | [10][8] |
| Removed the offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter from the Constitution. | |||||||||||||
| 38th Amendment | 11 June 2019 | Rights: Divorce | 24 May 2019 | 3,397,636 | 1,686,511 | 50.9 | 1,384,192 | 82.1 | 302,319 | 17.9 | 40,545 | 2.4 | [10][8] |
| Removed the requirement of a period of separation before proceedings for divorce are initiated, and allowed for recognition of foreign divorces. | |||||||||||||
| 39th Amendment Bill | N/A | Family: Non-marital relationships | 8 March 2024 | 3,438,566 | 1,525,215 | 44.4 | 487,564 | 32.3 | 1,021,546 | 67.7 | 16,105 | 1.1 | [16][17][18] |
| Proposal to expand recognition of the family to include durable relationships. | |||||||||||||
| 40th Amendment Bill | N/A | Family: Care | 8 March 2024 | 3,438,566 | 1,525,221 | 44.4 | 393,053 | 26.1 | 1,114,620 | 73.9 | 17,548 | 1.15 | [16][19] |
| Proposal to remove reference to woman's life within the home and mothers' duties in the home, and to insert new provision on care within the family. | |||||||||||||
A referendum was planned to be held on 7 June 2024 onratification of the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court.[20][21] However, in April 2024, the government indicated that it was considering postponing the referendum.[22]
The following bills have been on the order paper for consideration in the Oireachtas.
| Proposal | Proposer | Progress |
|---|---|---|
| Right to Housing | Solidarity–People Before Profit | First Stage 28 July 2020[23] |
| Franchise at presidential elections | Minister for Foreign Affairs | First Stage 16 September 2019; Restored to Order Paper July 2020[24][25] |
InPeople (AG) v. O'Callaghan (1966), the Supreme Court held that the right to liberty would permit the denial of bail in limited circumstances only, where there was sufficient evidence before the Court that the accused was likely to interfere with the course of justice; specifically, that bail could not be because of the likelihood of the commission of further offences while on bail.[26] This decision was overturned by theSixteenth Amendment in 1996 which inserted Article 40.4.7°, allowing for the refusal of bail by a court to a person charged with a serious offence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person. The Amendment was passed by 75% to 25%.
InMaguire v. Ardagh (2002), the Supreme Court held that Oireachtas Inquiries did not have the power to compel witnesses to attend and to make findings against them.[27] TheThirtieth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2011 proposed to allow Oireachtas Inquiries to make findings of fact and to balance the rights of the individual against the public interest; this referendum was defeated by 53% to 47%.
InO'Donovan v. the Attorney-General (1961), the Supreme Court held that the Electoral Amendment Act 1959 was unconstitutional and suggested that the ratio of representation to population across constituencies should differ by no more than 5%. TheThird Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1968 would have allowed a variation of up to 16.7% across constituencies. It was rejected in a referendum by 61% to 39%.
InRe Article 26 and the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 1983 (1984), the Supreme Court held that the proposed bill to extend voting rights in Dáil elections to British citizens was unconstitutional. TheNinth Amendment was passed in June 1984, which allowed the franchise to be extended beyond Irish citizens.
TheThird Amendment, passed in 1972, allowed Ireland to accede to theEuropean Communities. In 1986, the government signed theSingle European Act (SEA). However,Raymond Crotty sought an injunction against ratification by the state. InCrotty v. An Taoiseach (1987), the Supreme Court held that the further transfer of powers from the state to theEuropean institutions within the SEA was not "necessitated by the obligations of membership of the Communities" as provided for by the Third Amendment. Consequently, the Constitution required further amendment, before the SEA could be ratified. This was done in areferendum later in 1987. On the same basis, further referendums onEuropean Treaties were held on theMaastricht Treaty (in 1992), on theAmsterdam Treaty (in 1998), on theNice Treaty (in 2001 andin 2002), and on theLisbon Treaty (in 2008 andin 2009). Referendums were also held to the allow the State to be bound by theGood Friday Agreementin 1998, and to ratify theInternational Criminal Courtin 2001 and theStability Treatyin 2012.
InMcGee v. The Attorney General (1974), the Supreme Court found that provisions of Articles 40 and 41 guaranteed a right to marital privacy, and that contraception on prescription could not be prohibited to a married couple. InGriswold v. Connecticut (1965), theUnited States Supreme Court came to a similar result, before finding for a general right to abortion in the first trimester inRoe v. Wade (1973). TheEighth Amendment in 1983 gave constitutional protection to the life of the unborn, and therefore prohibiting abortion. This had been partly to guard against the Supreme Court finding the same right that their American counterparts had.
In March 1992, the Supreme Court ruled inAttorney General v X, commonly known as theX Case, that a teenage girl was entitled to an abortion as there was a risk to her life from suicide. Opponents of abortion feared that this ruling could only be enforced in a way that would lead to an expansive abortion regime of the kind found in many other countries. There were two failed amendments that would have excluded suicide as grounds for abortion, theTwelfth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1992 and theTwenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2001. TheProtection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 made provisions for the finding of the court in the X Case, allowing abortion where the life of the woman was at risk, including a risk of suicide.
TheThirteenth Amendment was passed in 1992, to guarantee a right to travel. This addressed the injunction which the High Court had granted in the X Case to order the return of the girl to the country. Though the injunction was lifted by the Supreme Court, a majority of the Court had found that were it not for the risk to life of the defendant, an injunction would have been maintained.
TheFourteenth Amendment was passed on the same day in 1992, to guarantee that the ban on abortion would not limit freedom to obtain or make available information relating to services lawfully available in another state. This was in response to two cases:Attorney General (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Ireland) Ltd.) v Open Door Counselling Ltd. and Dublin Wellwoman Centre Ltd. (1988), which granted an injunction restraining two counseling agencies from assisting women to travel abroad to obtain abortions or informing them of the methods of communications with such clinics, andSociety for the Protection of Unborn Children (Ireland) Ltd. v Grogan (1989), which placed an injunction restraining three students' unions from distributing information in relation to abortion available outside the state.
The Eighth Amendment was repealed in 2018 with the passage of theThirty-sixth Amendment, thus allowing abortion to be legalised again.
Before the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland, Ireland had two previous Constitutions: theDáil Constitution of the short-lived 1919–1922Irish Republic, and the constitution of the 1922–1937Irish Free State.
The Dáil Constitution was enacted byDáil Éireann (which was at that time a single chamber assembly).
TheConstitution of the Irish Free State was adopted in October 1922 and came in force on 6 December 1922. It originally provided for a process of amendment by means of a referendum. However the constitution could initially be amended by theOireachtas for eight years. The Oireachtas chose to extend that period, meaning that for the duration of its existence, the Free State constitution could be amended at will by parliament. By virtue of the 1922 Constitution Act, the constitution could not be amended in a way with conflicted with theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 ratified by both the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic. However theStatute of Westminster removed that restriction in 1931 as far as British (but not Irish) law was concerned. It was amended 24 times between 1925 and 1936.
| Party | Same-sex marriage | Abortion | Blasphemy | Divorce | The Family and Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil |  Y | Neutral | Y | Y | Y |
| Sinn Féin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Fine Gael | Y | Neutral | Y | Y | Y |
| Green | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Labour | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Social Democrats | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| PBP–Solidarity | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Article 34A.4 specified that that all references to the Article 34A would be deleted once the Court of Appeal was established, whilst Article 64 would be removed one year after the court's establishment date.
