In this episode of the RTÉ current affairs programme, ‘7 Days’ Senator Mary Robinson speaks about family planning. Contraception was illegal in Ireland from 1935 - 1980.
Senator Robinson believes contraception is a moral, medical and personal issue and should not be a legal problem.
I propose to have quite a short, technical, legal bill which will repeal Section 17 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935, which makes it a crime to sell or have for sale, or advertise contraceptives, and also makes contraceptives prohibited goods
Senator Robinson also wants to repeal sections of the Censorship of Publications Act 1946 which prohibit books about family planning or contraceptives generally.
Mary Robinson first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish senate from 1969-1989. She was President of Ireland from 1990- 1997; she took up the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in 1997 before resigning in 2002.
This episode of ‘7 Days’ was broadcast on 8 December 1970.
