Despite thecomplexity of the proposal to amend the Constitution, the question being put to the people will be simple.
Voters will be asked to signal a Yes or No answer to the question, "Do you approve of the proposal to amend the Constitution in the undermentioned Bill, the Twenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Protection of Human Life in Pregnancy) Bill, 2001?" A majority in favour of this proposal will result in two new sections being inserted into Article 40 of the Constitution.
Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution deals with the right to life, and states: "The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right."
If the amendment is passed, to this will be added a new section 40.3.4, saying: "In particular, the life of the unborn in the womb shall be protected in accordance with the provisions of the Protection of Human Life in Pregnancy Act, 2002." There is no explanation of what these provisions are.
A new section, 3.5, will also be added to Article 40 if approved. This consists of one sentence of 13 lines, and it also contains references to Articles 46 and 47 of the Constitution. Essentially, it provides that any future proposal to amend the Human Life in Pregnancy Bill will have to face a referendum similar to a constitutional amendment.
These new sections will be included in any new official texts of the Constitution, but only if the Human Life in Pregnancy Bill is enacted within 180 days of being voted for by the electorate. If the Bill is not enacted by the Oireachtas then these sections will fall.