LUCINDA CREIGHTON SAYS there would be nothing to stop a member of her party or a hypothetical Renua minister for health calling a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment.
Despite her own strong pro-life views Creighton said she would have no difficulty with a referendum and thinks it might actually “be a helpful thing”.
The 8th Amendment, passed by referendum in 1983, enshrines the equal right to life of the unborn and the mother in the Constitution, and effectively outlaws abortion in Ireland.
Of the new party’s position on the issue, Creighton said:
There’s nothing to stop a member of Renua introducing a private members’ bill if they so choose, or indeed potentially a Renua minister for health introducing a bill, with the support of government, to hold a referendum on the 8th Amendment.
She said it would be up to individual Renua members to decide how to vote, but said she would vote No to repeal. Creighton was expelled from Fine Gael over her opposition to the government legislating for the X Case in July 2013.
Here’s what she told TheJournal.ie in a wide-ranging interview this week:
There’ll be more from our interview with Lucinda Creighton on TheJournal.ie this weekend.
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