The brother of the Taoiseach, Mr Noel Ahern, said last night he wanted a clearly worded referendum in the lifetime of this Government. Mr Ahern is among a number of Government backbench TDs anxious for a referendum that will give people the clear choice of voting for or against abortion.
A party source said that up to half of the parliamentary party was in favour of another referendum during the term of the Government.
Many Fianna Fail backbenchers refused to comment on the abortion Green Paper, saying they needed time to read and digest it.
Mr Ahern said: "It took too long for the Green Paper to be produced. I hope the next stage of the process won't take the same length of time."
He said it would take a year to put a referendum to the people and estimated there would be time to do so in the Government's remaining two years. He did not want a referendum a few months before a general election.
The Cork South Central TD, Mr Batt O'Keeffe, said his position had always been in favour of the people having a right to a referendum. But he recognised the difficulties in getting the wording right. "I would prefer if we had a good logical discussion to get it right, than to jump in and get it wrong."
The Dublin South West TD, Mr Conor Lenihan, said the lobbying or pressurising of politicians on the abortion issue would not work. "We have had enough pressure. Putting deadlines on this is not the answer. We have a deliberative process to go through."
The Tipperary North TD, Mr Michael O'Kennedy, said he was totally opposed to abortion.