Ireland to hold referendum on abortion in May, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar confirms
Terminations are currently only allowed in the country when the life of the mother is at risk
IRELAND is set to hold an abortion referendum at the end of May, it has been confirmed.
Voters in Ireland will be going to the polls this spring to cast their vote on liberalising the country's restrictive abortion laws.
The Government agreed to hold a referendum on whether to repeal the Eight Amendment after an almost four-hour special cabinet meeting tonight.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Simon Harris said the Cabinet would like the vote to be held in May at a press conference.
Speaking tonight, he said: "This evening the Cabinet gave formal approval to the holding of a referendum on abortion which will be held at the end of May.
"We will know the exact date following the conclusion of a debate and vote in the Dail and Seanad.
"But I am confident that this timeline can be met. The Minister for Health has been given approval to prepare a referendum bill to amend the constitution.
"It will be the 36th amendment to our constitution."
Varadkar said he will advocate for a Yes vote and told how his views on the issue had changed over time — in particular while he was Minister for Health.
He added that we already have abortion in Ireland, which is “unsafe, unregulated and unlawful” and he believes this must change.
The Taoiseach also told how “thousands of women, women from every county in Ireland” have travelled abroad for abortions and confessed that the upcoming referendum will be a difficult decision for the people of Ireland to make.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney told the Cabinet last night he would be supporting the repeal of the Eight Amendment but expressed concerns about the proposal to allow abortion up until week 12.
Terminations are currently only allowed in this country when the life of the mother is at risk — and the maxi- mum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison.
Last December, a report by a specially convened parliamentary committee found the section of the State’s Constitution that confers equal rights on the mother and unborn child — the Eighth Amendment — was not fit for purpose and should be repealed.
That followed recommendations from members of the Citizens’ Assembly to liberalise the law on terminations.
The committee also recommended abortion be available up to 12 weeks of pregnancy without a woman having to explain her decision.
The referendum will focus on the fate of the Eighth Amendment, not on the specifics on how the law would change if the Constitution was altered.
Speaking ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Health Minister Harris said he would outline proposals for a potential law change that he would put before the Dail in the event of the Eighth Amendment being repealed.
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And Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has welcomed the Government’s decision but warned arguments from both sides need to be made respectfully.
He said: “Those of us who support this change must argue for it strongly but respectfully of those who hold different views to our own.
Terminations are currently only allowed in Ireland when the life of the mother is at risk.
The maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison.