Diversity and deliberation: How the first Assembly worked
Members of the Citizens’ Assembly were randomly chosen. They were broadly representative of society, to include age, gender, social class and regional spread. The names of members were posted on the Assembly’s website. People from advocacy groups were excluded from membership of the Assembly.
The Assembly followed the idea and method of deliberative democracy. Its members met in a Dublin hotel where they sat at round tables of seven to eight people. Each table also included a trained facilitator and a note-taker. The facilitator ensured that discussions kept to the point and were respectful, and that each member had an equal opportunity to speak. The table allocations rotated on all weekends so that members mixed around. A steering group made up of selected members and supported by an expert advisory group decided on the itinerary of the meetings (see Farrell et.al.).
These usually consisted of the following activities:
>> Presentations by legal, ethical and medical experts between 15 and 30 minutes. Briefing papers were circulated days in advance.
>> Short presentations by advocacy groups and, in certain cases (when discussing abortion), personal testimonials by a number of women.
>> Question and answer sessions.
>> Small-group round table facilitated discussions in closed sessions.
>> Private reflective moments.
The Citizens’ Assembly 2016 – 2018 covered multiple issues
The abortion topic was discussed on five weekends. Members heard from 40 experts in medicine, law and ethics. They listened to six women affected by the Eighth Amendment (which covers access to abortion), and from 17 deeply involved lobby groups. By the end, they had acquired an ‘almost uniquely comprehensive understanding’ of abortion, said the chairperson of the Assembly, Ms Justice Laffoy.
They emphatically rejected (87.3 per cent) the Eighth Amendment. 64 per cent voted even for abortion ‘without restriction as to reason’ for up to 12 weeks (Irish Times, 27.5.2018).