BREAKING: Abortion is officially legal in Ireland as President Higgins signs bill

History has been made.

When we look back on 2018, we will all remember it as the year that we voted to repeal the 8th Amendment. And now, abortion is officially legal in Ireland after President Michael D. Higgins signed it into the law. A statement released by Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday evening said: “Having considered the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.”

Having considered the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.

— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) December 20, 2018

Earlier this month when the bill was finally passed through the Oireachtas, Health Minister Simon Harris told the Irish Times: “This is a genuinely historic moment. It paves the way for the implementation of the service for termination of pregnancy in January 2019. "The passage of the legislation allows for the beginning of a new journey. It is the start of a new era for women’s healthcare."