Irish Voters End Ban on Divorce - November 1995

By a narrow margin, November 24, voters in Ireland ended the country's constitutional ban on divorce. The margin in the referendum was just 50.3% to 49.7%---only about 9,100 votes out of 1.6M cast. The issue had been intensely debated for years in the largely Roman Catholic country. The government of Prime Min. John Bruton had called for an end to the divorce ban, while the Church had urged its retention. Under Irish law, a couple could now obtain a divorce after living apart for 4 years and showing that there was no chance for a reconciliation.