1861Abortion prohibited under Offences Against the Person Act.
1979Health (Family Planning) Act reaffirms statutory prohibition.
1983First referendum on abortion proposes amendment to the Constitution explicitly protecting the right to life of the unborn. It is carried, 841,233 votes in favour, 416,136 against. Results in article 40.3.3 guaranteeing the State will "respect and, as far as practicable, by its laws" defend and vindicate the right to life of the unborn.
1986The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Spuc) obtains an injunction restraining the Dublin Well Woman Centre and Open Door Counselling providing information on abortion services overseas.
February 1992The X case, in which the parents of a 14-year-old girl, pregnant as a result of rape, arrange for her to have an abortion in England. The attorney general obtains an injunction stopping her from travelling. She is allowed to travel following an appeal to the Supreme Court which ruled there was a "substantial risk to the life of the mother by self destruction".
Mr Justice J McCarthy says the State’s failure to legislate on abortion since the 1983 amendment was “no longer just unfortunate; it is inexcusable”.
February 1992Government obtains Protocol 17 to the European Maastricht Treaty. It guarantees nothing in the treaty shall impact on article 40.3.3.
November 1992Second referendum on abortion, puts forward three proposals. Two are carried. It results in 13th and 14th amendments guaranteeing the right to travel for an abortion and right to information about abortion services.
1996Constitutional Review Group considers Irish abortion law and considers option of amending article 40.3.3 to legalise abortion in constitutionally defined circumstances. Group concludes only practical route is legislation to regulate application of article.
1999Interdepartmental Working Group Green Paper on Abortion published.
2000Green Paper referred to Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. Committee agrees legal clarity is necessary but does not agree on a single course of action.
2001Crisis Pregnancy Agency established to reduce "the number of women with crisis pregnancies who opt for abortion".
March 2002Third referendum on abortion proposes the 25th amendment, to allow for abortion where there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother. Danger of suicide is, however, not be considered a ground for abortion. Proposal defeated, 50.4 per cent against, 49.6 per cent in favour.
2005 Three women lodge case at the European Court of Human Rights alleging Ireland’s lack of abortion services breached their human rights.
June 2008 Lisbon Treaty rejected by Irish electorate.
2009Case taken by three women heard before the grand chamber of the ECHR.
July 2009Government obtains guarantee from 27 member states that nothing in the Lisbon Treaty shall affect article 40.3.3. The treaty passes in October.
December 2010ECHR judges the human rights of one of the three women have been breached by her inability to access abortion services in Ireland.