Labour to reject motion on abortion

Labour parliamentary party chairman Jack Wall has said he is confident party TDs will vote in line with the Government today and oppose a Dáil motion on legislating for fatal foetal abnormalities.

His comments come despite party TDs saying they want new laws to allow for terminations for such cases and will find it difficult to vote against the motion.

The Irish Examiner can also confirm Labour senator Ivana Bacik has been asked to look at leading a campaign for the next general election on legislating for fatal foetal abnormalities. This will form part of a move to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which currently equates the life of the unborn to that of the mother.

“We want a platform for the party’s manifesto going into the next election and that it is required in any Programme for Government [in the next Dáil],” she said.

A Dáil vote will be held today on a motion by Independent TD Clare Daly on her proposed bill, which she says would legislate for terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.

Labour leader Joan Burton’s spokesman last night said there was no free vote for TDs and the Government was rejecting the bill as it would require constitutional change.

Labour TD Dominic Hannigan said he wanted to see legal advice on why the bill was unconstitutional.

TD Joe Costello, a former minister, told RTÉ: “There is a very strong desire to deal with the matter. We [Labour] would love to be in a position to fully support legislation of this nature.”

Members from both coalition parties agree the issue must be dealt with at the next election.

Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe, the transport minister, said: “This issue is causing even more suffering to mothers and to families who find themselves facing great difficulty and great upset and I believe the current situation should be changed and I would want to see the next government do this.”

Senator Bacik said Labour would discuss the issue at its party conference in Kerry this month.

A committee, led by her, will produce a report at the conference. However, it is also looking at draft legislation on fatal foetal abnormalities and related issues which will be put forward by the party as part of its manifesto for the next general election.

The committee includes members of Labour Women, Dr Peter Boylan, the former master of the national maternity hospital, as well as Prof Veronica O’Keane, a senior lecturer in psychiatry, among others.

The barrister said she had written to Ms Burton with her concerns about today’s vote.

“It [the law] is very restrictive. We would like to legislate, but we need to repeal the Eighth as well.”

Labour parliamentary party chairman Jack Wall last night said he was “confident” TDs would vote against Ms Daly’s bill today.

“They are long enough in here to know if something is unconstitutional, they can’t vote for it. A lot of steam has built up on this, that doesn’t reflect the feeling on the ground. If someone has an issue, the legal teams with Labour can brief them.”

Sinn Féin have said they will abstain from today’s vote, while Fianna Fáil TDs have a free vote.