Two years ago, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment, the 1983 law that granted fetuses the same right to life as their mothers, in a historic referendum. Now Maeve O’Boyle, Lucy Kennedy, and Aideen Kane are telling the story of the activism that led to that long overdue victory with the doc “The 8th.”

A new trailer for the film sees protestors demanding change after the death of Savita Halappanavar, who was denied a life-saving abortion due to the 8th. “This government needs to introduce emergency legislation to protect women’s lives,” a demonstrator declares, “and if they don’t, we will bring this government down.” “Repeal the 8th!” another activist adds.

But not everyone was onboard. “What’s being proposed is a completely unrestricted liberal abortion regime,” a priest says in the spot.

For the most part, however, the documentary subjects agree that the 8th is just as much about restricting women’s autonomy as it is abortion. Repealing the amendment is “actually about the value that we’re putting on women in our society,” an interviewee states.

“We hope that by showing how a small country like Ireland was able to convince a conservative electorate to have compassion for women, the story can serve as a roadmap for progressive reforms in other countries,” O’Boyle, Kennedy, and Kane told Women and Hollywood in an interview. “This is a critical time for women’s reproductive rights in the United States. Even in the midst of a pandemic, policymakers are opportunistically trying to further restrict access to women’s reproductive rights and health care. We hope this film will be an inspiration to those continuing the fight for reproductive rights.”

Executive produced by Abigail Disney, “The 8th” will screen at Hot Docs Festival Online, which launches May 28 and is geo-blocked to Ontario, Canada. It has also been selected for Human Rights Watch Film Festival’s digital edition. No word on a theatrical release yet.