(Image source from: Ireland gets its first pro-abortion law})

30th July, 2013, will go down in history as a red-letter day  for Ireland. In what can be dubbed as a coup of sorts for the country, Michael D. Higgins, the head of Ireland rubber-stamped the abortion bill amidst all doubts and dissention. With this, Ireland became one of the first Catholic countries in the world to get its first abortion law.

That said, the government of Ireland has legalized the process of 'termination of pregnancy' only for cases where doctors deem risk of a woman's life.

President Michael D. Higgins startled analysts  after he inked the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill rather rather than pushing it to back Ireland's Supreme Court to  establish its constitutionality.

The new law, however, doesn't ban abortion completely. In fact it only allows abortion in case of life-threatening medical conditions and if a woman threatens to end her life if  refused an abortion.

So in all likelihood, the anti-abortion activists might challenge the decision at the apex court.

Until now, Ireland followed an age-old abortion law handed-down by British since1867 that banned abortion with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The new maximum sentence is 14 years.

AW: Suchorita Dutta