Enda Kenny discourages abortion referendum

The Anti-Austerity Alliance and People Before Profit have said they will propose legislation to repeal the 8th amendment later this year.

According to RTÉ, TD Ruth Coppinger raised the issue during Leader's Questions in the Dáil today. Coppinger said if the government failed to address the issue, the two parties would put forward  legislation for October, allowing time for organisations to lobby. However, Enda Kenny has discouraged the move, believing that a referendum in October would not be passed. "People want to know, if you are going to take this out of the Constitution, what are you going to replace it with? It's a very genuine question, one that I have had problems with myself," he said. The move from the AAA and PBP comes in the wake of a UN report finding Irish abortion laws to be inhuman. The report called for the strict prohibition to be reversed, including reforming the right to life of the unborn in the Constitution if necessary, to allow women to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy safely. We at Her.ie have welcomed a referendum on the issue for quite some time.

I LOVE this. Comment: Why We're Waiving Impartiality on The 8th Amendment https://t.co/rLGyqmhDzF via @Herdotie #repealthe8th

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) March 31, 2016

In fact, we've even dedicated a Her Talks entirely to discussion on the topic. Below, contributor Rachel O'Neill addresses the new government on exactly why we do in fact need a referendum on the matter.