Before the European Court of Human Rights (“ECHR” or “the Court”) delivered its decision in the case of A. B. and C. v. Ireland (“ABC” or “ABC v. Ireland”) on December 16, 2010, there had been widespread speculation as to the potential breadth of the decision and its implications for the sovereignty of nation states that are members of the Council of Europe. Such speculation was encouraged by the fact that instead of being heard by a single Chamber of the ECHR, the case had been referred to the Grand Chamber, composed of all judges of the ECHR, and by the fact that the Court took longer than it normally does to issue its opinion...