Tributes Paid After Death Of Mary Mcgee, Who Helped End Ireland’s Ban On Contraception

Tributes person poured successful from crossed Ireland aft nan decease of Mary McGee, a female credited pinch sparking a “social revolution” that paved nan measurement for nan legalisation of contraceptives successful nan country.

McGee, who went by May, and her husband, Seamus, burst into nan headlines successful 1972, aft nan mates lodged a landmark ineligible situation against a decades-old rule that banned nan waste aliases importation of contraceptives successful Ireland.

At nan time, nan mates had 4 children. Their 2nd and 3rd pregnancies had been analyzable by wellness issues, pinch McGee astir dying astatine 1 constituent and suffering a stroke.

A expert warned them that immoderate early pregnancies could beryllium fatal for her and advised her to return contraceptives. A 1935 prohibition connected nan waste and importation of contraceptives, however, made it astir intolerable for her to travel nan doctor’s instructions.

The mates turned to nan UK, placing an bid for a diaphragm and spermicide jelly, according to nan Irish Times. The package was seized by customs, and they were told that if they attempted to again bid contraceptives from abroad, they would look fines aliases jailhouse time.

McGee refused to springiness in. “I was livid that personification successful authorities could show america really to unrecorded our lives. I wasn’t going to backmost down,” she told nan Irish Examiner successful 2022.

The mates took their lawsuit to nan precocious court, wherever Seamus, who went by Shay, laid retired precisely what was astatine stake. “I’d for illustration to spot her usage contraceptives than beryllium placing flowers connected her grave,” he told a proceeding successful 1972.

Mary McGee pinch hubby Seamus successful 1972. The past 27-year-old mother of 4 took nan authorities to tribunal complete being prevented to bargain contraception. Photograph: Dermot Barry/The_Irish_Times

After their ineligible situation was struck down, nan mates appealed to nan ultimate court. Soon after, 4 of nan 5 judges ruled successful their favour, uncovering that contraception was a backstage matter for joined couples and that nan determination should beryllium free of interference from nan state.

Their triumph resonated crossed Ireland and astir nan world, pinch nan mates receiving congratulatory messages from nan World Health Organization and from arsenic acold arsenic Hawaii.

They besides faced anger from immoderate quarters, later telling media of really they had walked retired of their parish, ne'er to return, aft nan leader suggested they had brought nan religion into disrepute.

The couple’s ineligible conflict remains nan court’s azygous astir important decision, successful position of its governmental and societal consequences, ultimate tribunal justness Gerard Hogan later noted.

It was nan “legal balanced of nan satellite landing”, successful that it forced nan authorities to gradually displacement its stance connected contraception, Hogan said astatine a 2023 convention examining nan McGee lawsuit and its legacy, successful remarks reported by nan Irish Times.

The determination “shows really 1 brave female single-handedly changed nan people of Irish societal history”, he added, starring to “a societal revolution, nan consequences of which are still being played out”.

As news collapsed connected Wednesday that May had passed distant peacefully astatine a infirmary successful Berlin, tributes poured successful crossed societal media arsenic group remembered her courageousness and hailed her arsenic a leader for nan women of Ireland.

Commenting connected Bluesky, nan writer and movie head Paul Duane wrote: “How acold we’ve come. Now Irish belief conservatism is constricted to a fewer 1000 spoiled votes and a batch of airtime connected [Irish nationalist broadcaster] RTE. But nan state isn’t listening to them immoderate more, acknowledgment to brave women for illustration May McGee.”

The writer Fintan O’Toole‬ hailed McGee arsenic “one of nan heroines of modern Ireland.”

Laura Kelly, a historiographer of medicine and gender successful modern Ireland and professor astatine nan University of Strathclyde, wrote connected Bluesky: “May McGee was specified a courageous female and had a immense impact.”

McGee’s husband, Shay, died successful January 2024.