The Eighth Amendment which effectively banned abortion in the Republic of Ireland has been formally repealed.
Irish President Michael D Higgins signed the abortion referendum bill into law on Tuesday.
In May, the country voted overwhelmingly to overturn the abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6%.
The Eighth Amendment had granted an equal right to life to the mother and the unborn child.
One group said it was already making plans to protest outside abortion clinics when they eventually open in Ireland.
The result in the Republic has shone a light on Northern Ireland's similarly strict abortion laws.
From October, Northern Ireland will be the only part of the British Isles with an almost blanket ban on terminations. »