On Monday night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed that Ireland will hold a referendum on abortion in late May. The electorate will be asked if they want to repeal or retain the eighth amendment to the constitution, which effectively bans terminations. In the case of repeal, people will also be asked to approve an addition to the constitution allowing the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature, to legislate for abortion. The government will draft legislation for unrestricted access to terminations up to 12 weeks, but this will only be voted on if the referendum passes.
Varadkar is acting on the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly, set up by his predecessor Enda Kenny, which considered balanced evidence on abortion, and voted overwhelmingly for liberalisation. He is also acting on the advice of an all-party Oireachtas committee, which reviewed the assembly’s findings. The additional constitutional clause is the recommendation of the attorney general. In significant respects, his announcements are no surprise.
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