Cabinet to approve legislation providing for abortion

The Cabinet will on Thursday morning approve the legislation to provide for legal abortion in Ireland, which will then be introduced to the Dáil next week by the Minister for Health Simon Harris.

The legislation, which will mirror the draft legislation published before the abortion referendum in May, will provide for legal abortion without restrictions up to 12 weeks, and in specified circumstances thereafter.

It will be called the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018.

After 12 weeks, abortions will be legal where there is a serious risk to the mother’s life or health, and when there is a diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.

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Separate to the formal approval of the legislation, Mr Harris will also brief his colleagues on the progress towards making abortion services available from the beginning of next year. Doctors recently warned that a great deal of work was necessary before the services were in place by January 1st, but Mr Harris has affirmed his intention to provide the service, which will be free of charge, from that date.

It is expected that the introduction of “safe access zones” around centres offering abortion services – where people would be legally prohibited from protesting against abortion – will not be part of the abortion legislation introduced to the Dáil next week but will form part of a later piece of legislation.

Intimidation

Pro-choice activists have warned that women seeking abortion services could be harassed or intimidated when entering clinics in the absence of such a law.

Legal advice from the Attorney General, however, has suggested that the provision of such zones around facilities should not be included in the abortion Bill.

While both large parties will not apply a whip on the Bill, it is expected to pass both Houses of the Oireachtas comfortably.

While TDs who campaigned against the abortion referendum have said they would table amendments of the Bill, most TDs said they would not seek to block the Bill after the result of the referendum.

Mr Harris has said he would not accept amendments from either pro-choice or anti-abortion TDs.

Pro-choice TDs have said they would table amendments which would abolish the three-day waiting period for an abortion which will be contained in the Bill, while anti-abortion TDs have said they want protection for doctors who do not wish to refer patients on for an abortion.