When Mini-Publics and Maxi-Publics Coincide: Ireland's National Debate on Abortion. Issue 1 (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Farrell, David M.; Suiter, Jane; Cunningham, Kevin; Harris, Clodagh
• Is Part Of: Representation. Volume 59:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 55
• Page End: 73
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Citizens' Assembly -- deliberative mini-public -- abortion; Elections -- Periodicals; Representative government and representation -- Periodicals; 324
• DOI: 10.1080/00344893.2020.1804441
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-4893

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Ireland's Citizens' Assembly (CA) of 2016–18 was tasked with making recommendations on abortion. This paper shows that from the outset its members were in large part in favour of the liberalisation of abortion (though a fair proportion were undecided), that over the course of its deliberations the CA as a whole moved in a more liberal direction on the issue, but that its position was largely reflected in the subsequent referendum vote by the population as a whole.