Ireland moves forward with abortion law reform after historic vote
Ireland’s health minister has said he will push forward with new abortion laws after Saturday’s resounding referendum result overturned a 35-year ban on terminations.
Simon Harris said he would start the process on Tuesday, when the Irish cabinet will meet to discuss draft legislation to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and up to 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.
The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing the controversial eighth amendment to the constitution that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and the woman carrying it. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no.
Draft legislation was set out before Friday’s vote and will now be formalised over the coming weeks, to be tabled in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament, in the autumn. Speaking on Saturday, the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said he hoped the law would be changed before the end of the year.
The change is not expected to face significant hurdles in parliament, with members who opposed repeal acknowledging the overwhelming nature of the result.
On Saturday’s announcement of the historic result at Dublin Castle, Harris told supporters of repeal: “Under the eighth amendment we used to say to women in crisis: take the boat or take the plane. Today we say, take our hand.”
Varadkar said Saturday would be remembered as the day Ireland “embraced our responsibilities as citizens and as a country … The day Ireland stepped out from under the last of our shadows and into the light. The day we came of age as a country. The day we took our place among the nations of the world.”
Saturday’s triumph for abortion reformers occurred only months before Pope Francis visits the country – the first since John Paul II’s tour of Ireland in 1979.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-law-reform-after-historic-vote?CMP=edit_2221
Ireland’s health minister has said he will push forward with new abortion laws after Saturday’s resounding referendum result overturned a 35-year ban on terminations.
Simon Harris said he would start the process on Tuesday, when the Irish cabinet will meet to discuss draft legislation to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and up to 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.
The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing the controversial eighth amendment to the constitution that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and the woman carrying it. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no.
Draft legislation was set out before Friday’s vote and will now be formalised over the coming weeks, to be tabled in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament, in the autumn. Speaking on Saturday, the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said he hoped the law would be changed before the end of the year.
The change is not expected to face significant hurdles in parliament, with members who opposed repeal acknowledging the overwhelming nature of the result.
On Saturday’s announcement of the historic result at Dublin Castle, Harris told supporters of repeal: “Under the eighth amendment we used to say to women in crisis: take the boat or take the plane. Today we say, take our hand.”
Varadkar said Saturday would be remembered as the day Ireland “embraced our responsibilities as citizens and as a country … The day Ireland stepped out from under the last of our shadows and into the light. The day we came of age as a country. The day we took our place among the nations of the world.”
Saturday’s triumph for abortion reformers occurred only months before Pope Francis visits the country – the first since John Paul II’s tour of Ireland in 1979.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-law-reform-after-historic-vote?CMP=edit_2221
