Stalwart pro-life politician Peadar Tóibín has announced he will vote against the Government’s proposed abortion legislation, and he will do so in defiance of his own party’s position. Speaking on LMFM this week, the Meath West Sinn Fein TD accepts that he will lose the party whip because of his actions and, as it will be the second time he has lost it over abortion, he also realises that the sanction will be more severe this time round.

Mr Tóibín said that over the past three years, Sinn Fein has changed its position significantly on abortion “and it is one I have a radical difference of opinion on.” He added that it was the only issue he disagreed with them on and so he hopes to remain in the party. He also confirmed he had made his position known to the party leadership in recent days.

It has also been reported that his former Sinn Fein colleague and fellow No voter in the recent abortion referendum, Carol Nolan, TD, will run in the next election as an independent candidate after she resigned from Sinn Fein due to their uncompromising pro-abortion stance. It won’t be easy for her to retain her seat as every one of the Fine Gael rebels expelled from the party over their votes against the 2013 Abortion Act failed to retain their seats in the subsequent 2016 election.