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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that the government intends to hold a referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment before the end of May.
The referendum will be subject to the approval of the Dáil with Varadkar saying the Cabinet agreed on the preferred timeline this evening.
While the exact wording of the referendum question that will be put to voters has not yet been decided, Varadkar said it will include a Constitutional provision enabling the Oireachtas to legislate for the issue.
The Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment had recommended a straight repeal referendum.
The committee also recommended that terminations be available without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and Cabinet has now backed this proposal.
Details of the government’s plans were announced in a press conference this evening held by Varadkar as well as Minister for Health Simon Harris and Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone.
The press conference came following a Cabinet meeting that lasted about four hours.
The government’s approach was approved by Cabinet but it is understood that Tánaiste Simon Coveney told his Cabinet colleagues he could not support the 12-week provision.
Speaking at Government Buildings this evening about his own views on the referendum, Varadkar said that he would be campaigning to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
“We know that thousands of Irish women, women from every single county in Ireland, travel abroad for abortions every year. We know that women obtain abortion pills through the post to end their pregnancies without any medical support or counselling or supervision. So we already have abortion in Ireland, but it’s unsafe, unregulated and unlawful. In my opinion we cannot continue to export our problems and import our solutions,” Varadkar said.
An Taoiseach said that his own personal view on the issue had “evolved over time”.
However difficult, I believe the time has come for the people to make this decision. The question has to be a yes or no one. Do we reform our abortion laws or leave them as they are? For my part I will advocate a yes vote, my own views have evolved over time. Life experience does that.
Varadkar said that it was during his time as Health Minister that he “became convinced” Ireland’s abortion laws had to change and he referenced the Miss Y and Miss P cases.
“These cases should have been cases for the women themselves, their next of kin and their doctors, but both were decided in the courts due to the Eighth Amendment,” Vadakar said.
Doctors deciding what to do in difficult circumstances should look to clinical guidelines, not Bunreacht na hÉireann. That’s why I called for a change in the Dail in December 2014.
On the 12 weeks provision, Varadkar said that he will support legislation which paves the way for the recommendation.
“People will have to make up their own minds, based on the evidence and their own conscience. In making my decision to support it, should legislation ever come before the Dáil, I listened to the views of others, medical experts, the public, my own party, ministers and friends. And above all I’ve listened to women,” he said.
The Taoiseach also noted that the Oireachtas committee’s report outlined that, in cases of rape, forcing women to prove they were raped to secure a termination would “make them victims for a second time”.
Beyond the 12 week provision, Varadkar said abortion would only be available in “exceptional circumstances”, such as in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or a serious risk to the life of the woman.
In these such cases decisions would be based on the best medical evidence, Varadkar said.
Ultimately it will be a decision based on the wishes of the woman concerned and the best available medical evidence. Safe, legal and rare, no longer an article in our constitution but rather a personal and private matter for women and their doctors. No more X cases, no more C cases. No more Miss Ys, Miss As, Miss Bs or Miss Cs.
If we do not approve this amendment to the Constitution, there will be no change. We can’t introduce abortion in any circumstances without a Yes vote, we can’t do it in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, we can’t do it in cases of rape or incest, we can’t do it in the case of a child who becomes pregnant and doesn’t want to become a mother.
“So what we’re asking people to do is allow us to change the Constitution and the Oireachtas is enabled to make new laws. That we can’t tie the hands of a future Oireachtas. So essentially that is the difference. ”
Timeline
The May referendum date has come following pressure from students groups which had urged the government to consider the circumstances of third-level students.
“Millions of our young people have not had the opportunity to vote on this issue, and arguably it affects our future generations more than any other,” Michael Kerrigan of the Union of Students of Ireland said today.
Minister for Health Simon Harris has said that both he and the Taoiseach wanted the referendum date to avoid clashing with both college exams and the Leaving Certificate exams.
Speaking at this evening’s press conference, Harris said that “the Constitution is not the place to address this aspect of women’s healthcare”.
“Change cannot happen as long as the Eighth Amendment remains in the constitution,” he said, adding that “it’s time for the people to have their say”.
Minister Zappone said that “as an independent woman” she was “full of emotion” following the government’s decision.
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“Big Names”. …. Big Names in their own minds!!!!
Does 2FM train them all to speak with the same voice / accent. It’s like nails on a blackboard.
Radio nova all the way.
@Brian Dunne: 100%
@Brian Dunne: Same playlist since it launched when it asked Metro Newspaper readers to list their favourite rock songs. They have been sticking to that rigidly. You may argue that goes for all the stations, but they inject fresh new songs every week. Radio Nova play the same 2 or 3 songs from about 10 artists
@Jack Burton: I have to agree unfortunately!
@Jack Burton: but that’s obviously what many people like…their ratings are increasing
@Brian Dunne: They do some Powerballads throwback that really hits the spot, they’re not afraid of bringing in the cheese.
@Jack Burton: I love Radio Nova but yes I’ve noticed all Summer it’s the same songs every few days. So many other great 80’s hits, plenty of B-sides not sure why they don’t branch out their playlists more.
There was no collapse in listenership when Tubridy left his radio slot either, all evidence points to high earners at RTE having little or no impact on ratings so salaries are entirely unjustified.
Of course our government doesn’t care and writes them blank cheques regardless.
Big names lol they were so big they were snapped up immediately id say.
Wouldn’t believe a word of it 2fm pure mule
@Brendan Murphy: total muck
@Brendan Murphy: man doesn’t like radio station so believes that nobody else can possibly like it, to the extent that he believes that independent listenership figures are bogus
Plenty of stations much better than that tripe
@Ian Cryan: Spot on .
It’s because those mid-morning until afternoon presenters on Today FM are insufferable….
@Noel Leech: you mean cash machine fm?
@Brian Dunne: oh yeah that’s the one, good man
I’ll stick with Radio Nova. PJ and Jim in the morning and Pat Courtenay for the drive home keep me sane in the traffic.
@Ger Whelan: My only problem with Nova is that they play the same 2 or 3 songs from each artist.
Don’t belive this at all. Pure fiction. Maybe an audit or review of methodology of data collection.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Can we have an audit or review on the data that leads you to call this fiction??
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: What a silly statement.
2FM is station of wannabes with notions. Full stop.
Just goes to show, clinging onto talent that once worked well or seemed good isn’t necessarily the only option. There’s always a replacement, there’s always a roll of the dice, it may even be from people tuning in to see what the new shows are like, a bounce so to speak.
Just AI presenting now
Who paid for this survey?….enough said!
Not the station it was years ago…
@Mark Gannon: Ah Larry and the Just a minute Quiz , Good times .
Timewarp Ireland on the interweb , no ads , no DJs , music heaven.
‘In spite of stars leaving’ . Should that not be ‘because of stars leaving’?
Lefty station
@Fintan Pox: right fool
@Joe Kelly: change the f to a t in fool!!
According to the far right on venture capitalist Elon Musks X platform, these figures are inflated by AI. lol
The question is who got greased to say RTE 2Fm has seen an increase in listenership figures
Have a spotify playlist for work over 110 hours long.Will never go back to the radio.2 songs then cringey talk by usually 2 to 4 eejits pretending to be having the craic,ads,news,ads,more talk,maybe a song,news,ads,news,ads,ads,ads,ads.
It’s a joke.One Of those things that only reveals itself to be so bad when you step away from it
Honestly who needs the same news spoken word for word every hour TEN times a day.Never again.
How do they know even if we listen @ all have they a bug in our homes or what coz nobody ever came knocking on my door or rang me up just another white wash poll that means nothing when it’s certainly non transparent
@liam ward: https://info.ipsosmrbi.com/jnlr
That’s how.
This proves that “Talent” is a liability.
Callan gained more than when Turdity was presenting! I thought he was “”De Talent!??” More proof the Management Haven’t a Clue! LOL!!!
For a national station, 2FM’s listenership is so poor to start with, anything would be an improvement.
Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music they constantly play. The Smiths
So it was just the people that left the listeners couldn’t stand then!
Big echoes still rubbish
Mistake in headline. Should be “because of ” instead of “despite”!
JLNR is total nonsense. Not worth the paper it’s written on.
Why does the journal.ie allow some of the conspiracy posts to remain. We complain when Twitter and Instagram don’t take down obvious spam. Many of the postings on this topic with their anti MSM are straight out of the extreme right playbook.
What wavelength is it on.
have your say