Citizens’ Assembly has ‘at least six options’ on abortion

There are at least six options for the Citizens’ Assembly to take as it deals with the issue of abortion and the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, the Taoiseach has said.

Enda Kenny told Labour's Joan Burton there was no political direction being given to the assembly "and there is no political cul-de-sac being put in place".

Ms Burton said it was her understanding the assembly, which held its first meeting last weekend, “may propose an amendment to section eight of the Constitution, which would be put to the people as a fresh amendment”.

The other possible recommendation the assembly could make was to repeal the Eighth Amendment and leave the Dáil to deal with the subsequent issues.

She said the Taoiseach had a political strategy for the assembly, but it was also about the rights of women and their partners and families.

“Are we being led into a cul-de-sac in which we will find a reborn, revised Eighth Amendment to the Constitution?” she asked.

Assembly’s choice

Mr Kenny said, however, there were “at least six different options that could be chosen, depending on the Citizens’ Assembly and what it wants to do”.

The Taoiseach said he wanted to be clear : “There is no political direction being given to it and there is no political cul-de-sac being put in place.”

Mr Kenny said during Taoiseach’s questions that “nobody under 50 years of age has voted on this issue in Ireland”.

He said the issue would create its own divisions in society as the discussions took place “but the Citizens’ Assembly will not be making the decision. That will come back to the legislators here.”

Ms Burton said that was the first time she had heard of the six options and said it behoved the Taoiseach to explain them. Mr Kenny said there were “at least” six options but “I am not going into that because it is not my remit. That is a function of the Citizens’ Assembly.”

Delayed referendum

Sinn Féin leader

Gerry Adams

claimed the Government’s approach was “one of delaying a referendum and the type of legislation that would be required”.

He criticised the lack of voices in the assembly from the North and said the discussion could take six months, which would mean a final Dáil decision on whether there would be a referendum “could be a year away”.

Earlier, Labour leader Brendan Howlin introduced legislation to bring "much needed regulation to rogue crisis pregnancy agencies".

He said the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill “simply adds crisis pregnancy counsellors to the list of professions regulated” regulated under existing legislation.

Mr Howlin, who highlighted an investigation by two journalists at a pregnancy counselling service, said women in crisis pregnancies were being told that “abortion increases the risk of breast cancer or that women who have had abortions will later abuse their children”. Women were being lied to “in the most grotesque fashion at a time of exceptional vulnerability”.