[1]The Labour Party has asked two campaigners who want an abortion regime in Ireland similar to what exists in the UK at present to prepare its alternative proposal to Ireland’s constitutional protection for the unborn.
Having pledged to offer a referendum on the issue of greater access to abortion if returned to government, party leader Joan Burton announced that she has asked Senator Ivana Bacik and Sinead Ahern of Labour Women, two well known pro-choice advocates, to formulate “a credible and detailed solution” to replacing the Constitution’s 8th Amendment, under which the right to life of the unborn is protected.
In a letter to party members, quoted by The Sunday Times, Burton writes that, if playing a role in the next government, the Labour Party would pursue a referendum and, further, “fight for the right outcome”.
“Other parties will shy away from it in the election,” Burton adds, “because they don’t want to deal with this difficult issue. “That’s why anybody who wishes to see ‘the eighth’ repealed should vote Labour.”
Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has refused to give a commitment on the issue, insisting that he needs to see a full and viable alternative to the 8th Amendment before going forward. The Sunday Times reported that Fine Gael sources have revealed a proposal within the party to establish a constitutional convention to fully consider the alternatives to it.
The opposition Fianna Fáil party has already stated that it will not pursue a referendum after the next election.
The Labour Party’s referendum pledge came as thousands marched in Dublin city to demand greater access to abortion.
Reacting to that march, a spokesperson for the Pro-Life Campaign said abortion supporters were “in absolute denial regarding the hurt and heartbreak caused by abortion for many women”.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that more women aged 44 and older are seeking counselling for ‘crisis pregnancies’.
In figures newly released by the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), women in the older category seeking counselling has increased by 38% since 2013, accounting for 69 women of a total 1,300 who approached the IFPA.
The latest figure for women aged 44 and older reporting crisis pregnancies stands against just 12 such cases in 2012, and 50 in 2013. The IFPA has stated that the latest increase requires more research towards a better understanding of the upward trend.