Leo plans referendum sitting

LEO Varadkar has requested a special Friday sitting of the Dáil in an effort to press ahead with the planned abortion referendum for May.

The Taoiseach said he wanted the Dáil to meet on that day to debate the legislation and ensure there were no delays in holding the referendum at the end of May as envisaged.

The Government has drafted a Bill that would delete a section of the Constitution and insert a new article enabling the Oireachtas to regulate abortion services in Ireland.

It is awaiting the outcome of a Supreme Court judgment on the rights of the unborn in the Constitution.

The ruling is expected to be delivered in Limerick today.

The Cabinet will then meet on Thursday to finalise the referendum Bill.

Currently, terminations are only allowed in Ireland when the life of the mother is at risk, including from suicide, and the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison.

Campaigners are seeking to liberalise the regime to allow for unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy. If the referendum goes ahead, voters will be asked whether they want to remove the section of the Constitution which gives equal right to life to the mother and the unborn, and replace it with wording to allow parliament to regulate for abortion.

With the Dáil set to go into a period of recess next week due to the St Patrick’s Day programme, the Taoiseach said he would like to establish the referendum commission formally on Friday.

The exact date of the referendum can not be set until the Bill is approved by both the Dáil and the Seanad.

It will require a debate and a vote to be held in both houses.