Here in the 21st century, the people of Ireland are casting an historic vote. To determine whether or not women should be allowed to exercise self-determination over their reproductive health. The country has one of the most restrictive abortion regimes in the world. Thus Friday’s referendum is about repealing or retaining the so-called eighth amendment. This was added to the constitution back in 1983 and places the “right to the unborn” on equal footing with the life of the pregnant woman. As things currently stand, abortion is not usually an option in cases of rape, incest or foetal abnormality. Legislation permitting a termination when the mother’s life is at risk was introduced only as recently as 2013. Seeking or performing an abortion brings with it a life sentence; or 14 years. Traditionally, bans on terminations gave way to so-called backstreet abortions. Meaning non-regulated ‘clinics’. These may not have been credited with any institution and were typically characterised by less than hygienic standards. At times, medical practitioners unqualified to perform abortions did just that. Today, upward economic mobility means that each year around 3,500 women travel each year from Ireland to Britain to seek terminations. And then there is the not so small question of the untold number of women who go online to purchase abortion pills, which are, in turn, consumed without medical supervision. Here in Pakistan, even progressives talk of patriarchy more or less exclusively in terms of the Islamic identity of the state; thereby unwittingly propping up notions of exceptionality. Ireland, for its part, is a staunchly Catholic country. Yet this did not stop it from legalising same-sex marriage back in 2015. It is a similar story in Catholic Spain, which only fully decriminalised abortion in 2010; some five years after putting same-sex marriage on the books. Thus the message is clear: when patriarchy fuses with religion — any religion — women pay the price of having ownership of their reproductive health outsourced to the state. The Irish people have the opportunity to change this. Finally. * Published in Daily Times, May 26th 2018.