The World - News from Feb. 21, 1985

The Irish government, in a major step toward liberalizing the country’s strict contraceptive laws, narrowly won a parliamentary vote allowing for the over-the-counter sale of male contraceptives for the first time. The controversial family planning bill, fiercely opposed by the country’s powerful Roman Catholic Church, passed its second test in the Irish Parliament on a vote of 83 to 80, with final approval expected today. Up until now, only married couples with a doctor’s prescription could purchase condoms.