Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland but was inserted into the constitution in 1983 following a referendum, in which 67% of voters were in favour and 33% against.
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| Photo credit: AFP |
Source/Credit: Hindustan Times
By AFP Dublin | September 27, 2017
Ireland announced Tuesday it will hold a referendum next year on whether to repeal its constitutional ban on abortion in almost all cases — just a few weeks before Pope Francis visits.
The government is also planning votes to remove Ireland’s anti-blasphemy law and to reduce the time couples must spend apart before divorcing.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has previously said the eighth amendment of the constitution, which makes abortion illegal unless there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother, was “too restrictive”.
His government has now decided that a referendum — which must be agreed by parliament — should take place in May or June 2018, just before the pope visits in August to attend the World Meeting of Families.
Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland but was inserted into the constitution in 1983 following a referendum, in which 67% of voters were in favour and 33% against.
The eighth amendment recognises the equal right to life of the unborn child and the mother — and a woman convicted of having an illegal termination faces 14 years in prison.
However, women are free to travel abroad for abortions and thousands do so every year, mainly to England.
Opinion polls in recent years have consistently indicated strong support for reform in Ireland, which remains largely Catholic but where scandals have dented the church’s authority.
Thousands of people are expected in Dublin on Saturday for the annual “March for Choice”, declaring: “We are ready for change.”
“We need access to free, safe and legal abortion for all who need or want it. And we need it now,” organisers said.
The Irish constitution can only be amended by referendum, and in 2015 it became the first country to legal gay marriage that way.
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