Ireland is in no way a backward society. It has just taken a big step forward on voting to legalise gay marriage. That is a great result.
Abortion remains an issue there and still up for debate, as it should be.
One thing at a time, as others have said already. Legalising gay marriage is a sizeable step in the right direction.
I would have thought that the abortion issue will follow suit in due course, but I think that if you push too far too fast you are much less likely to get the desired result.
I am pro choice. Abortion should not have a blanket ban, as I believe it has in Ireland. It should be legal within certain constraints, as in many other countries including the UK.
I know our system has its flaws, and has certainly been open to criticism and, dare I say it, abuse in some quarters, but it does at least provide options where needed and all but eliminated the dangerous trade of back-street abortions.
As already mentioned upthread, there are some pregnancies which are sadly highly likely to end in stillbirth or produce a baby who will die shortly after birth.
Others may be a serious risk to the health (physical and mental) of the mother.
All these are reasons why Ireland and any other countries where abortion is illegal really need to think again in my opinion.
I am very much pro-choice. The reasons why a pregnancy may need to be terminated are many and varied, and few women take the decision lightly.
In an ideal world these choices should be available to all women regardless of where they live.