Lucinda Creighton has resigned as Minister of State for Europe after voting against the Government’s abortion legislation.

Last night the Dáil passed the the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013 by 127 votes to 31.

It is the first time in Irish history that the State has legalised the intentional destruction of innocent human life.

Ms Creighton voted No in a section of the Bill on the risk of loss of life from suicide and was automatically expelled from the parliamentary party, the Irish Times reports.

Speaking to reporters on the plinth of Leinster House after the vote, Ms Creighton said she felt very sad as she had been a member of Fine Gael since she was 18.

“At the same time I am relieved because this is a huge issue that has been weighing on everybody’s mind for months,” she said. “It’s no exaggeration to say that a lot of people have really struggled on which way they would vote in this legislation and now obviously five members of the Dáil from my parliamentary party [will not support it].”

Ms Creighton said it was a “big shock” to find herself no longer a member of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. She also confirmed she would resign as a Minister immediately.

Asked about Fine Gael’s pre-election commitment on abortion, she said: “I know in my own mind we made a clear commitment before the last election. I repeated that commitment, I meant it and held it sincerely. This legislation is a breach of that commitment.”

She said promises matter and on such a fundamental issue, she could not in conscience support what was proposed.

The Dublin South East TD voted on the amendment proposed by five TDs including two Fine Gael TDs who have lost the party whip – Billy Timmins and Terence Flanagan.

The amendment was also proposed by Fianna Fail’s Eamon O Cuiv, Independent Mattie McGrath and Sinn Fein’s Peadar Toibin, who faces disciplinary procedures from his own party over his opposition to sections of the Bill.

Their amendment proposed deletion of the entire section nine of the Bill on the risk of loss from suicide.

Earlier, Ms Creighton renewed her call for abortion time limits to be introduced where a foetus is viable.

She said she wanted to protect viable life and bring in limitations on when terminations could be carried out. “It would actually allay the genuine concerns of many of our citizens,” she said during the report stage debate, which resumed this evening.

“We know that in the vast majority of jurisdictions around the world where there are abortion regimes in place, far more liberal regimes of the type I hope we never see in this country, they do still enforce gestationsal limits, term limits for carrying out abortions,” the Dublin South East TD said. “I think that this is the minimum our citizens deserve.”

Fine Gael TD Peter Mathews, who has already lost the party whip on the legislation, also supported term limits. He said termination at 12 weeks was just as repugnant as a termination later in pregnancy.

Ms Creighton was replaced by Paschal Donohue as Minister of State for Europe.