'Girls like me go to England, don't they': Multimodal stylistic analysis of fictional representations of abortion in Ireland

Abortion was restricted in both jurisdictions in Ireland until 2018, when the notorious Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution was repealed. Although legalised by the British government in 2019, provision for abortion in the north of Ireland remains restricted in practice. Part of a broader project on the linguistic construction of abortion in Ireland and on the linguistic strategies through which the status quo was challenged and eventually overcome (Statham and Ringrow, forthcoming), this paper comprises a multimodal stylistic analysis of fictional representations of abortion in Ireland, concentrating on Three Families, a 2021 BBC drama series produced after the liberalisation of abortion law in the north of Ireland. Verbal and visual stylistic analysis of key scenes (following work from Bousfield and McIntyre 2010; Harrison 2020) considers how multimodal elements on screen create empathy. The paper also explores how fictional themes map onto non-fictional issues related to abortion, such as journeys required to access healthcare and the legal battle for change.