"Tributes have poured in from across Ireland after the death of Mary McGee, a woman credited with sparking a social revolution that paved the way for the legalisation of contraceptives in the country. McGee, who went by the name May, and her husband, Seamus, hit the headlines in 1972 after the couple lodged a landmark legal challenge against a decades-old law that banned the sale or import of contraceptives in Ireland."
"McGee's second and third pregnancies had been complicated by health issues. She nearly died at one point and suffered a stroke, and a doctor said any future pregnancies could prove fatal and advised her to take contraception. A 1935 ban on the sale and import of contraceptives, however, made it nearly impossible for her to follow the doctor's instructions. The couple turned to the UK, placing an order for a diaphragm and spermicide jelly, according to the Irish Times."
Mary McGee, known as May, and her husband Seamus mounted a landmark 1972 legal challenge against a 1935 law banning sale or import of contraceptives in Ireland. Medical complications from McGee's second and third pregnancies led doctors to advise contraception to prevent life-threatening future pregnancies. A contraceptive package ordered from the UK was seized by customs and the couple faced potential fines or jail for further orders. After a high court ruling against them, the couple appealed to the Supreme Court, where four of five judges ruled contraception a private matter for married couples, free from state interference.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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