Is it true that condoms are prohibited in Ireland?

The Internet is full of stories that it is better to take condoms to Ireland with you, since their sale in this country is illegal. We checked whether this is so.

That condoms in Ireland under the full or partial prohibition, write many Bloggersincluding those talking about travel, relationships and sex. This one did not bypass plot and Russian -speaking media - they wrote about the unusual law, for example, “Arguments and facts","Evening Moscow"And the Lithuanian editorial office DELFI. Publication "AiF" for 19 years with small variations Squicks On the rune. “In Ireland with condoms is tight - take the gum with you, since the authorities of this country believe that condoms interfere with the continuation of the genus” - posts and Articles With Similar The text appears on different Portals and forums several times a year. Some sources clarify that the ban on the sale of contraceptives acted Only until 1978, some write that the restrictions were removed only in the 1990s, but Difficulties With the acquisition of condoms and other contraception means in Ireland, they are still preserved. 

Ireland is a country in which the influence of the Catholic Church was colossal, with Catholicism closely Related Irish identity itself. The relationship between the Vatican with contraception in the 20th century was very difficult. The massive spread of condoms and the development of spermicides and other contraceptives in the first quarter of the last century caused a greater concern of the Holy Thron. December 31, 1930 was published encyclical Pope Pia XI "On Christian Marriage." In it, the pontiff made a lengthy condemnation of any contraception, referring, in particular, to St. Augustine, who said: "Relations even with a legal wife are illegal and vicious where there is an obstruction of the conception of offspring." 

Probably, it was this condemnation by the church that prompted the Irish government to ban the import, purchase and sale of condoms in 1935. And although the use of contraceptives as such was not punishable, contraception was inaccessible to most Irish - Article 17 of the Law on Criminal Criminal Law Provided A fine and a conclusion for up to six months for import, sale and even demonstration of any contraceptive items.

This situation remained until 1971, when representatives of the Irish female liberation movement (IWLM) went from Dublin to Belfast (located in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK) to buy contraceptives there and bring them home. This journey became known as "The train of contraception"(Contraceptive Train) - 49 women returned to Konnoli station in the Irish capital, openly demonstrating purchases that were not surprisingly confiscated by customs officers. The protest was widely publicized and the attention of the media.

Two years later, no less known in Ireland became story 27-year-old mother of four children Mary McGi. Her second and third pregnancies were complicated by brain thrombosis, she also suffered a stroke and temporary paralysis. Another pregnancy at the conclusion of a doctor could not survive. The doctor recommended using diaphragm And spermicides, but the law forbade not only to buy them, but even get a recipe. McGi tried to illegally import a spermicide recommended by the doctor, but he was confiscated at customs. Then Mary and her husband appealed to the Supreme Court, which Most Votov made a decision in favor of McGi, deciding that couples have constitutional right to make private decisions on family planning issues, and questioning the constitutionality of Article 17. 

It was a breakthrough - the restrictions began to weaken, and it became possible to legally import contraceptives from other countries. But it was impossible to produce and sell them in Ireland until 1979. Then in Ireland it was accepted Family planning lawpermitting the sale of contraceptives according to the recipe. And in 1985, despite the disapproval of the Catholic Church, an amendment was adopted to this law, according to which condoms and other means of contraception could be bought without a prescription, but in strictly designated places. Nevertheless, about half of the pharmacies in the country refused to store any contraceptives.

Only in 1992 And 1993 years, amendments were adopted the same law on family planning that removed most restrictions on the supply and sale of contraceptives, and the 1993 amendment was canceled and previously existing a ban on the sale of condoms for young men and girls who have not reached 17 years. 

Now buying male condoms in Ireland is not a problem - they Sold In clinics, in pharmacies, in special devices in shopping centers and in ordinary stores. The situation with female condoms is a little more complicated, since they are less popular, but these contraceptives are also Available. If the Irish was 17 years old, then he even Maybe Get condoms for free, filling out the appropriate form, and from September 14, 2022, contraceptives in Ireland steel Free for Irish girls and women aged 17 to 25 years. 

The ban on the sale of condoms in Ireland really existed for a rather long time, and it was he who formed the basis of numerous Internet bags and errors. However, since 1993, there are no legal or age restrictions on the sale of this type of contraceptive in Ireland.

Photo on the cover: Klaus hausmann from the site Pixabay

Not true

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