Abortion vote date to be set

A date for a referendum on Ireland’ s strict legal framework on abortion is set to be confirmed this week, the health minister has said.

Simon Harris said the procedural and legislative timetable was on track to enable a vote at the end of May. The likely date of the referendum is seen as 25 May. Citizens will be asked whether they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment of Ireland’s constitution, a provision that makes abortion illegal in all but exceptional circumstances, and replace it with wording that hands responsibility for setting the country’s abortion laws to politicians.