In early 1971 Senator Mary Robinson (later president of Ireland) sought to introduce a bill to liberalise the law on contraception into the Seanad, but it was not allowed a reading, so it could not be discussed.
On 31 March 1971, a number of supporters managed to get into the grounds of Leinster House and then broke into the building to register their protests.
[5] On 22 May 1971 a group of Irish feminists, including Mary Kenny, travelled to Belfast by rail and made their return to Dublin Connolly, laden with contraceptive devices, into a statement on the illogicality of the law.
[6] In 1973, the Supreme Court determined in McGee v. The Attorney General that there was a constitutional right to marital privacy which also allowed for the use of contraceptives.
The legislation did not require that the recipient of the prescription be married; however "bona fide family planning" would have made non-marital use unlikely to be authorised.
The reason for the compromise was the strong position of conservative elements in Irish society at the time, particularly the Catholic Church, which made it difficult for the government to provide for a more liberal law.
As of January 2023, there are more than a dozen contraceptive choices available in Ireland including the daily pill, condoms and more long-term methods such as the coil.
A small percentage of the Irish population still opposes the use of artificial contraception within marriage, in line with Humanae Vitae, including sports personality Mickey Harte.