The Government will not be "in a hurry" to legislate for abortion on the basis of the X case judgment if the referendum is lost, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern has said.
Speaking at Fianna Fáil's final campaign press conference, he said: "Legislatively, we would have to go back to the drawing board, but I have given no thought to that. In fairness, it isn't something that I will do in a hurry."
His final remarks contrasted to those made by him during Fianna Fáil's opening press conference of the campaign on February 13th, when he warned a No vote would threaten a liberal abortion regime.
Insisting that a No vote meant the X case would have to be covered by legislation, he said: "I do not want to see a pro-choice, liberal abortion regime in this country."
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, denied yesterday that his predecessor, Mr John Bruton, had embarrassed him by issuing such a public call for a Yes vote so close to polling day.
Mr Ahern said yesterday he firmly believed the referendum's passage would protect existing medical practices offered to pregnant women. "At the end, it remains the case that we are the only ones who have been up front with the people and shown them a detailed proposal of exactly what we believe our laws on abortion should be . . .
"It is a lot tougher to be honest and spell out exactly what you want, but I have absolutely no doubt that we have been right to do so. I say again, this is an honest, clear pro-life proposal." Mr Ahern insisted the referendum proposal and its accompanying legislation "will achieve exactly what it is intended to achieve".
The strong statement by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was "very important. They are the people on whom women rely during pregnancy. They are the doctors. I am not. I am a politician. This proposal will give constitutional and legal underpinning to the confidence and trust which is essential in the doctor-patient relationship."
Asked about the calls for abortions in cases where the foetus had no prospect of life outside the womb, the Taoiseach said nobody had shown him where the line could be drawn.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said the Government's proposal was the best that could be created. "We have individually and severally sought the best rather than the easiest option."
Earlier he had said: "There was never a hope that if an option was going to be put to the nation, that such an option would have no complications attached to it, but what the Government has achieved is an option which registers the way this nation values the life and rights of women and the life and rights of the unborn."
In his final press conference, Mr Noonan repeated his warning that there was no way of predicting how the Supreme Court would interpret the Human Life in Pregnancy Act in the future. In power, Fine Gael would legislate for the X case. He rejected suggestions that a No vote would lead to liberal abortion laws. "Only legislation which accords to the Supreme Court decision in the X case would be constitutional under Article 40.3.3."