Abstract
Ireland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The terms and extent of discussions about reproductive rights have long been shaped by the Irish Catholic Church. Recently, public disapproval of the Church has intensified due to revelations of improprieties, raising questions about the Church’s role as a moral authority. This chapter examines perspectives of doctors who provide reproductive health services in enacting, circumventing, or rebuffing Catholic influence in healthcare. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork in Ireland with reproductive healthcare providers, it argues that incipient forms of contestations, however individualized and quiet, to the Catholic ethos in healthcare are emerging in the Irish medical community. These emergent contestations on individual level parallel public stirrings and wider debates about access to abortion in Ireland.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Ireland and Irish refer to the Republic of Ireland.
- 2.
This was a public case; thus, a pseudonym is not used.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mishtal, J. (2017). Quiet Contestations of Irish Abortion Law: Abortion Politics in Flux?. In: Stettner, S., Ackerman, K., Burnett, K., Hay, T. (eds) Transcending Borders. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48399-3_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48399-3_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-48398-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48399-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)