DRAFT HEADS OF legislation abortion are set to be approved by Cabinet this morning, with coalition partners Fine Gael and Labour clarifying conditions under which abortions can be carried out in Ireland.
Twenty-one years ago, Ireland’s Supreme Court ruled in the X Case that the termination of a pregnancy was legal if its continuation posed a real and substantial threat to the life of a pregnant woman. In a move that has proved controversial ever since, the court also ruled that the threat of suicide should be considered a legitimate danger to a woman’s life.
The draft heads of the bill will be discussed in the Oireactas Health Committee ahead of the final wording of the legislation is established and introduced in the Dáil.
The suggestion of including the threat of suicide as a threat to a woman’s life has provoked serious opposition within Fine Gael, with up to 26 deputies threatening to lose the party whip over the plans, according to today’s Daily Mail. However, Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach Enda Kenny has urged members to examine the wording before making up their minds.
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