Abortion vote too important to be sullied

THERE was a widely held belief that once the chance to repeal the Eighth Amendment was granted to the electorate, they would take it with enthusiasm. There is broad support for abortion being available to women who have been raped but that is not what will be put to the voters.

The Oireachtas committee that heard evidence from those on both sides of the debate voted to recommend repeal, following the same conclusion by the Citizens’ Assembly, and to many that made the ultimate removal of Article 40.3.3 from the Constitution inevitable. Anyone who witnessed the 1983 referendum knows nothing is that simple and that the debate will take a turn for the worse.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney’s intervention was like a hand grenade and made the entire issue even more uncertain. He said he supported repeal but the 12-week limit was a step too far – yet he failed to offer an alternative, leaving himself open to the accusation that he is playing politics. He can do this because of how the referendum has been framed. By opting for repeal and replace, instead of repeal only, the Government sought to head off any challenge to future legislation by inserting a new clause permitting it to change abortion law. All it has done is turn this into a vote not on repeal itself but on what follows – which is by no means certain.

We are told abortion will be available up to 12 weeks of pregnancy but only the heads of Bills outlining such legislation can be offered. If the referendum result was for repeal, only then could an actual Bill be presented to the Dáil.

With the result coming in late May, no attempt will be made to legislate before the summer recess. Once the Dáil reconvenes, all eyes will be on the October budget – the final one to be delivered as part of the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil confidence and supply agreement. Once that ends, there surely will be a general election, probably in the first half of 2019.

Even if abortion legislation were considered in that period, it would be liable to amendments in both the Dáil and Seanad, further delaying enactment. And who would champion it? The leaders of both main parties have stated their support for repeal but have left themselves vulnerable to more conservative elements in their own parties. Sinn Féin, too, is not fully united on the issue, leaving all parties slightly rudderless.

In short, no one has any idea what is going to happen – or when – and that vacuum leaves the way open for misinformation on all sides. The decision we make is too important to be sullied by lies, abuse and jockeying for political advantage.