Abortion has been legal in Ireland since 1 January 2019. At the time of this case, it was prohibited under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (these provisions have since been repealed and replaced by the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018). Between 1983 and 2018, there was a constitutional protection of the life of the unborn in Article 40.3.3°, introduced by the Eighth Amendment, subsequently repealed by the Thirty-sixth Amendment in 2018.