Fine Gael has called for Cabinet unity over the referendum on the Eighth Amendment.

The report describes the health and human rights implications of these laws as "acute".

Frances Fitzgerald could be appointed as the head of Fine Gael's abortion referendum campaign as part of her return to front-line politics.

It has consulted its members and will publish suggestions tomorrow that could be acceptable to both sides.

Many protesters carried their children in their arms or on their shoulders, shouting: "Our bodies are ours!"

The chair of the Oireachtas Eighth Amendment Committee has today accused two prominent pro-life members of trying to "undermine" her position on the cross-party group.

Ireland is at risk of having to pay costly compensation to thousands of women forced to travel abroad to receive an abortion unless the law is immediately changed to make the procedure legal and easily accessible, the Oireachtas Eighth Amendment committee heard today.

Independent Senator Ronan Mullen has again criticised the Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment, saying the process “has been cynical from the start”.

Delegates at the Fianna Fáil ard fheis has voted against a motion calling for a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion.

Dr Rhona Mahony, the Master of the National Maternity Hospital, has said the country cannot continue to pretend that Irish women aren’t having abortions and that she favours the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

Latest: A referendum on abortion rights will likely be held next summer, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

A day of action is being held in Munster in support of the campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment.

Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin said today that he is not going to air his personal views on abortion, but he believes the Irish people deserve a referendum on the 8th Amendment.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and two of his most senior Government colleagues have questioned whether the eighth amendment referendum will be passed if it allows unrestricted access to abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, writes Fiachra Ó Cionnaith.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has acknowledged that women in Ireland do not enjoy full equality "in lots of different fields".

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has told the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to liberalise Ireland’s abortion laws, as to have the choice is a “fundamental human right”.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has told the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to liberalise Ireland’s abortion laws, as to have the choice is a “fundamental human right”.

Abortion Rights Campaigners say it is time Ireland's abortion laws are brought into line with the rest of Europe.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says it will be stressing the importance of inspections and reporting when it addresses the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva today.

Chilean politicians have taken a major step toward legalising abortion in some cases, a dramatic development in one of Latin America's most traditionally conservative countries.

Labour TD Joan Burton has called for referendum on the Eighth Amendment to take place early next year.

Latest: Minister for Health Simon Harris has said that it is important that the Citizens’ Assembly final report on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution is given full consideration.

Health Minister Simon Harris says Ireland must deal with abortion "definitively", after two women who had attempted suicide more than once were refused abortions in Ireland.

The UN Human Rights Committee has ruled against Ireland's abortion laws for the second time in just over a year.

A Government minister is urging the Dáil and Seanad not to block the abortion recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly, saying that providing there is no “legal impediment”, the findings should not be “interfered with”.

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone has said that a referendum on abortion should take place by next spring, at the latest - and any delay would be a betrayal of women's rights.

There is disagreement on the make-up and numbers for a special Oireachtas committee that will now examine Ireland’s abortion laws and decide the terms for a possible referendum.

The country is on course to hold a referendum on whether or not to liberalise abortion laws, with senior government figures backing moves for a vote to be held next year.

The Eighth Amendment is a subsection in the Irish Constitution, Article 40.3.3.

Q: What is the Citizens’ Assembly?

Greens: Favours a referendum and to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Members have mixed views on circumstances. 

The Oireachtas no longer has the excuse of saying it does not know the way forward on abortion after the Citizens’ Assembly delivered its judgments, writes Alison O’Connor.

Societies are judged by many criteria. Some regard gross domestic product as defining.

A special committee set up to deliberate on Ireland's abortion regime has made a landmark call for the procedure to be allowed without restriction.

The Citizens Assembly will meet this weekend for the final time to discuss the Eight Amendment of the Constitution.

LATEST: The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is calling on the Government to tackle our gender pay gap.

Women who have been directly affected by abortion have been sharing their experiences this afternoon, at the Citizens' Assembly.

A new poll on abortion shows that more people favour reforming our "right to life" laws than scrapping them altogether.

Personal stories of women who have had abortions and crisis pregnancies will be heard by the Citizens' Assembly in March.

The Citizens' Assembly has heard that 3,451 women from the Republic of Ireland travelled to England or Wales for an abortion in 2015.

An expert in foetal maternal medicine at the National Maternity Hospital has said some 30 pregnancies were terminated in 2015 because of a pre-natal Down Syndrome diagnosis.

The chairperson of the Citizens' Assembly has said the term "fatal foetal abnormalities" will continue to be used during its discussions of the Eighth Amendment.

Latest: The chairperson of the Citizens' Assembly has said the term "fatal foetal abnormalities" will continue to be used during its discussions of the Eighth Amendment.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has vowed to mount a strong campaign against any referendum on the eighth amendment.