The debate that will arise from today’s outcome from the Citizens’ Assembly, which saw members vote overwhelmingly to support legal access to abortion in Ireland with no restriction as to a woman’s reasons, in some ways mirrors the controversial nature of the process itself. Some have argued that the assembly, made up of 99 individuals of the general public to hear presentations and discussion on the abortion debate, cannot possibly be as representative as putting a referendum to Ireland’s population, and others have found fault with the process of selecting the chosen experts, who come from both sides of the debate.
But in a world where the value of expert opinion is being increasingly undermined – a world where marches had to be held this weekend to defend the value of science and fact – the importance of having those experts in complex debates cannot be underestimated. The Citizens’ Assembly, as a case of evidence-based policy making, is almost a perfect example of why scientific investigation and expert input is so deeply important.
Indeed, parallels can be drawn between it and this weekend’s March for Science. Both events highlight the importance of experts making themselves accessible in public debate, and perhaps a lack of such action is at least partly to blame for the growing perception that experts are out of touch with citizens. Both events saw Trinity’s own academics acting as public and open figures, with Prof Luke O’Neill and Provost Patrick Prendergast at the march and Prof Oran Doyle and Dr Rachael Walsh of Trinity’s Law School clarifying the constitutional process both to the assembly and the wider public via the media.
Members began the process without such expertise, and ended it by advocating overwhelmingly for legal access to abortion in Ireland. The information presented to them would have changed their stances in some cases, and indeed their recommendations now stand in opposition to a recent Irish Times poll which saw the majority support repeal of the eighth to allow abortion in limited circumstances.
The assembly members are now repeatedly described as some of the most informed people in the country on the nuance of the issues. The earned this distinction by listening to and deliberating over personal testimony from women, as well as medical, ethical and legal experts, and have assessed both the complexity of the right to choice and the nuance of the Constitution. Their process was aided by experts across the spectrum of thought, and their recommendations today come from long and informed deliberation. After years of being shouted from the sidelines, we need to ensure evidence wins out in the debate on the eighth amendment.
