Synopses & Reviews
The research for this book was prompted by a combination of events, in particular the election of Mary Robinson as President of Ireland (November 1990) and the X case which rocked Irish society (February 1992). The book is an exploration of the dynamics between the Irish and European Courts, the legislators and the Irish citizens in relation to certain socio-sexual questions: divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality. Spanning the 73 years since the creation of the Irish State, it questions the nature of the moral order regulating Irish society and the concept of democracy underlying it: from a moral order based on the natural law and Victorian ideology, to a moral order based on the fundamental rights of individuals. The book examines the fragile balance struck between tradition and modernity, and is an indirect tribute to the work of former President Mary Robinson as a constitutional lawyer and senator.
Synopsis
An exploration spanning 73 years of the evolution of Irish legislation and its causes on certain aspects of sexual morality.
About the Author
Chrystel Hug spent six years in Ireland where she taught French at University College, Cork.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Whose Morality? What Sexuality? * Divorce: From an Indissoluble Bond . . . * Divorce . . . To the Right to a Second Chance * Contraception: From the Protection of Public Morality . . . * Contraception: . . . To a Responsible Sexuality for All * Abortion: From the Right to Life . . . * Abortion: . . . To the Right to Live * Homosexuality: From a Crime Against Nature . . . * Homosexuality: . . . To a Right to (Homo)Sexual Privacy * Conclusion * Bibliography * Index