The possibility of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution reaching consensus on the abortion issue seemed remote last night as the two main Opposition parties rejected the option of another referendum.
The Green Paper, which outlines seven possible constitutional and legislative approaches to addressing the issue, is expected to be discussed by the committee when it meets next week. The Government hopes the committee can reach consensus. The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, said the Government "would like to see all sides of the debate coming to a clear understanding of each other's point of view".
Despite the Taoiseach's pledge not to "enact legislation on this subject without consulting the people", no direction has been given to the committee which is chaired by Fianna Fail TD Mr Brian Lenihan.
The Fine Gael spokesman on health, Mr Alan Shatter, said the party remained committed to Mr John Bruton's view that "it would probably be unwise in practical terms to proceed with another referendum or with legislation".
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said "the Constitution is not the appropriate place to try to deal with a complex medical and social problem like abortion". Mr Quinn said it was "highly unlikely"
that a consensus could be achieved in advance of another referendum.
The options outlined in the Green Paper include an absolute constitutional ban on abortion; the retention of the status quo; legislation to regulate abortion in circumstances defined in the X case; reversion to the pre-1983 position, and permitting abortion on grounds beyond those specified in the X case.
Prof William Binchy, of the Pro-Life Campaign, said the Green Paper "did not contain new information or new analysis that has not been raised before". Although no time limit has been set for the deliberations of the committee, Prof Binchy said it should be sending a recommendation to the Cabinet "within a matter of months". The committee is expected to hold public hearings at which interested parties will be invited to comment on the Green Paper. A Government source admitted that the committee "may not be in a position to make a recommendation but hopefully that will be the case".
A committee source said "there are going to be divergent views on the Green Paper. We have previously worked by agreement but with this issue we may have to record minority views in our final report". There was no reaction last night from the two pro-Government Independent TDs, Mr Harry Blaney and Ms Mildred Fox, who have voiced their support for another referendum. Ms Fox has given the Government six months to clarify its intentions on abortion. A senior Government source admitted that the two Independents were "deadly serious" on this issue.
Pressure from Fianna Fail TDs for another referendum is likely to become more public in the coming week as they consider the contents of the Green Paper.
The Taoiseach's brother, Mr Noel Ahern TD, last night told The Irish Times he favours a "clearly worded pro-life referendum" before the next general election.
The Green Paper notes that "the difficulty at arriving at an acceptable wording to provide for a constitutional prohibition on abortion should not be underestimated". It includes the option of an outright ban on abortion which "while appearing at first sight to be simple to achieve, encounters difficulties when the medical issues are discussed".