Hardcore anti-abortion groups are to launch sustained campaigns
targeting individual politicians after the Cabinet made a historic
decision to give women limited termination rights in line with the X
case ruling.After 20 years of administrations ducking the issue, the Coalition said it would bring in a mixture of legislation and regulation to legalise abortion where there was a substantial risk to the life of the mother — including suicide.
However, the Government statement was vague on matters such as the definition of suicide risk, as many Fine Gael TDs are concerned about the issue.
Fine Gael backbenchers expressed anger that Labour TDs had claimed the Cabinet move as a “victory” for their party. Health Minister James Reilly said he was “looking for a victory for the women of Ireland”.
Dr Reilly said a balance had to be struck on suicide risk, stating: “It is very clear the Supreme Court case has covered suicide as being a risk here.” However, he said, a form of words must be found so the issue “is not abused as it has been perceived to be in some other jurisdictions”.
He said suicide risk would “absolutely” be among the grounds for termination, but said the matter should be set out in a way so it would not be “abused”.
Last night, the country’s four archbishops issued a statement saying “what is being proposed... can never be morally justified in any circumstances”.
“The lives of untold numbers of unborn children in this State now depend on the choices that will be made by our public representatives. The unavoidable choice that now faces all our public representatives is: Will I chose to defend and vindicate the equal right to life of a mother and the child in her womb in all circumstances, or will I chose to licence the direct and intentional killing of the innocent baby in the womb?”
Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups have reacted with anger to the Government’s move, with Pro Life Campaign’s Cora Sherlock saying: “While treating politicians with respect, we will mount a robust and sustained challenge to each and every element of the proposed legislation.”
Other groups threatened to target TDs and senators.
Pro-choice groups welcomed the decision to legislate more than two decades after the Supreme Court ruling in the X case, and said new laws must allow for termination in cases of rape, incest, and risk to the mother’s health as well as her life, and be the “beginning of liberalising” abortion law.
Dr Reilly said the Government’s proposals would go to the Oireachtas health committee next month and then the heads of the bill and details of the legislation would be made public, going through the Oireachtas by the summer recess.
The move, which will see some criminal law repealed, is one of four options set out by an expert group. Ministers said it needed to be introduced to comply with the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the A, B, and C case.
Fine Gael TDs such as Peter Mathews said they needed to see details of the law before deciding whether to back it, despite Taoiseach Enda Kenny ruling out a free vote on the issue.