More people regret knee surgery than abortion. So why is the patriarchy still scaring us with lifelong torment? Ireland’s parliament, the Dáil, voted down a reproductive rights amendment bill this month that would have abolished the country’s mandatory three-day waiting period for access to an abortion. Supporters of the unsuccessful reform bill, tabled by the Social Democrats, argued that the delay serves no medical purpose. As the bill moved through political debate and media coverage, those