Ireland To Hold Referendum On Legalising Abortion In May, Government Confirms

A referendum on the section of Ireland’s constitution that enshrines its restrictive abortion laws will be held at the end of May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced.

It offers voters the first opportunity in 35 years to overhaul some of the world’s strictest laws.

Voters will be asked if they wish to repeal the eighth amendment of the constitution that was inserted in 1983 and which enshrined the equal right to life of the mother and her unborn child, and to instead enable parliament to set the laws.

While not on the ballot paper, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his government will begin drafting legislation in line with the recommendations made by an all-party parliamentary committee last month which called for terminations with no restrictions to be allowed up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

On Twitter, Varadkar wrote: 

This evening the Cabinet gave formal approval to the holding of a referendum on abortion which will be held in late May or early June this year. pic.twitter.com/dQ6P2JEPPK

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

We know that thousands of Irish women - from every county in Ireland - go abroad for abortions every year. We know that many women are obtaining abortion pills through the post to end their pregnancies. So we have abortion in Ireland, but it is unsafe, unregulated & illegal.

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

The question has to be a Yes or No one; do we reform our abortion laws or not? I will advocate for a Yes vote. My own views on abortion have evolved over time. Life experience does that. As Minister for Health I became convinced abortion had no place in the Constitution.

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

If the referendum is passed, a doctor-led, safe and legal system for the termination of pregnancy will be introduced. Safe, legal & rare. No longer an article in the Constitution, but rather a private & personal matter for women & doctors.

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

In recent weeks many people, mainly men, have spoken about the personal journeys they have been on. We should remember the saddest & loneliest journey is made by Irish women who travel to other countries in their 1000s to end their pregnancies. These journeys don’t have to happen

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

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