History of the Republic of Ireland and secular-minded people, urban and rural, middle and working classes. Issues such as divorce, contraception and homosexuality have since become accepted by many and have ceased to be matters of serious political debate. However, legalising abortion remained controversial. Opinion poll evidence on the subject of abortion is mixed. On May 25, 2018 Ireland voted to repeal the ban on abortion. Legislation is expected by the end of the year to allow abortion on demand up to 12 weeks and under restrictions after that. In 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by means of
Assessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland Party of Northern Ireland. The PSNI and the government of the Republic of Ireland also welcomed the process. However, Traditional Unionist Voice criticised the assessment as having "all the appearance of politically motivated and timed window-dressing". A representative of Sinn Féin, Conor Murphy, described the panel as unnecessary, saying, "Nothing and no one can be allowed a veto over the democratic process. Sinn Féin is in government on the basis of our electoral mandate." Vincent Kearney, the BBC's Northern Ireland Home Affairs Correspondent, questioned whether the assessment can or will say anything different to prior PSNI statements, or what the