Ireland Will Finally Hold A Referendum On Legalising Abortion

Paul Faith / AFP / Getty Images

The Irish government has agreed to hold a referendum on the possibility of legalising abortion.

Ireland's prime minister, or taoiseach, Leo Varadkar confirmed the referendum during a press conference in Dublin on Monday night, following a four-hour cabinet meeting in which ministers reached a unanimous decision to take steps to revise abortion law.

According to the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, abortion is currently illegal in almost all circumstances, unless the mother's life is in immediate danger.

The referendum will ask the Irish public whether they wish to repeal the Eighth Amendment and allow the Oireachtas – Ireland's legislature – to replace it with a more liberal abortion law.

The referendum is expected to be held before the end of May, and a date is likely to be confirmed in March. Varadkar said he was "confident this timeline could be met".

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar

Frederick Florin / AFP / Getty Images

On Saturday, Varadkar told BBC Radio Four that he planned to campaign for Ireland's abortion laws to "liberalised," describing the current situation as “too restrictive”. Varadkar has previously described himself as "pro-life".

During Monday's press conference, Varadkar confirmed that he would campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment. "My own views have evolved over time," he said. "Life experience does that."

"We know that women travel from all counties in Ireland for abortion," Varadkar said on Monday night.

This includes the thousands of women who travel from Ireland to England in order to access abortion. In recent years there has also been a significant increase in the number of women in Ireland illegally buying abortion pills online.

"We already have abortion in Ireland, but it's unregulated, unsafe, and unlawful... We cannot persist with a situation where women in need are risking their lives," he continued.

Varakdar added: "We can't export our problems and import our solutions."

He said the vote would be "a decision on whether we want to criminalise and stigmatise our sisters," adding that the Irish Constitution was no place for this moral question.

Ireland's health minister Simon Harris will begin work on draft legislation for a new abortion law, which following recommendations from a dedicated government committee on repealing the Eighth Amendment could include unrestricted access to abortion up to 12 weeks.

After 12 weeks, abortion would only be allowed in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, or when a mother's life is at risk.

Ailbhe Smyth, convenor of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, who has campaigned for decades to bring about a referendum on abortion law, tweeted that she had been "waiting for this just about all my adult life".

"We welcome the government's announcement to hold a referendum," Cara Sanquest, of the London Ireland Abortion Rights campaign, told BuzzFeed News. "We stand with the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, when he said that we can no longer export this issues, and import the solution."



from BuzzFeed - World http://ift.tt/2nr2Qjb

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Won’t Stop Demanding The Mona Lisa To Be Cleaned, So Someone Just Explained What Would Happen

Image
From rust being washed off some old pots to dirt removed from crevices between tiles, watching something return to its previous state is oddly satisfying and art pieces are no exception to that principle. Not too long ago we shared a video of art expert Philip Mould removing the old varnish off a 400-year-old painting, which since then has gone viral. The fascinating process garnered attention on Tumblr where people were quick to demand the same thing to be done to Da Vinci’s famous ‘Mona Lisa’. A tempting idea, especially after seeing how beautiful the ‘Woman In Red’ looked after Mould’s treatment. However, 5 days ago, a user named Eleanor quickly explained what would happen if someone tried to restore Leonardo’s masterpiece to its original state. Read her explanation below and find out if the risk would be worth it! More info: Tumblr Not too long ago the internet was fascinated by Philip Mould’s restoration of 400-year-old ‘Woman In Red’ He used a mixture of gel and sol...
Read more

Japanese Illustrator Creates The Most Adorable Cat Comics Ever, And It Will Make Your Day

Image
To quote Lingvistov, a universally acclaimed cat-loving illustrator, “ Life with a cat can turn into a real adventure! ” Japanese artist Nitori Sasami would probably agree with her. Sasami has created a 30-part webcomic about a guy who saves a kitty from the streets, and their story is amusingly adorable! Titled Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan , it shows how the kitty and its new human get to know each other. Both the natural and the supernatural take place right from the start of their friendship. The series, however, manages to follow ‘ cat logic ‘ to a T as well. And it’s no wonder – Nitori is a proud feline owner. The best part? The author claimed that if the webcomic proves to be a success, he will probably continue it in the future. Scroll down to check out the strips! More info: helveticascans.com |  Instagram  | Twitter #1 Image credits: Nitori Sasami #2 Image credits: Nitori Sasami #3 Image credits: Nitori Sasami #4 Image credits: Nitori Sasami #5 Image credits...
Read more

Australian Firefighters Pose With Animals For 2018 Charity Calendar, And The Photos Are So Hot It May Start Fires

Image
The 2018 Australian Firefighters Calendar is here, and it’s pretty much the only reason we’re excited for the new year to begin. Since 1993, the Land Down Under has been gracing us each fall with a (literally) smoking bounty of rock-hard abs, biceps of steel, and turnout coats, and the latest edition certainly does not disappoint. You have your choice between hot firefighters posing with zoo animals, hot firefighters holding puppies, or just hot firefighters being hot, and – blessed be – they offer international shipping. The proceeds are going to the Children’s Hospital Foundation, so you could also order all three, you know, for the sake of the children. Take it all in for yourself below, though you might want to keep a cold, damp towel nearby, in case of… Smoke inhalation. More info:  Australian Firefighters Calendar from Bored Panda http://ift.tt/2wPcCzh
Read more