Fianna Fáil has ruled out holding a referendum on changing the Constitution in relation to abortion if the party was to enter Government after the next general election.

Independent TD Clare Daly has said that the Government's position that her abortion bill is unconstitutional is a "cop out".

Pro-life advocates have described as "crass and unseemly" attempts to repeal the constitutional ban on abortion in light of the heartache generated by the case of a pregnant woman on life support.

The country’s abortion laws are once again under the spotlight, with all sides in the debate calling for legislation passed less than a year ago to be scrapped.

The HSE national incident management team has confirmed it will interview Praveen Halappanavar as part of its review into his wife Savita's death.

Pro-life campaigners have threatened to shut down Ireland’s first abortion clinic which is due to open next week.

Pro-choice groups are calling for the introduction of legislation that would allow limited abortion in Ireland, in line with the 'X Case' ruling.

Women forced to have an abortion abroad because their unborn baby had abnormalities will tell politicians today that the law is cruel, unfair, and needs to change.

THE euthanasia advocate nicknamed ‘Dr Death’ expounded his theories on voluntary suicide in Dublin yesterday, with expected protesters nowhere to be seen and the meeting instead soundtracked, occasionally, by laughter.

EUTHANASIA advocate, Dr Philip Nitschke, who will hold a workshop in Dublin this week said there was already enough Irish interest in his DIY death techniques to make his visit worthwhile.

LAW lecturer Jennifer Schweppe (April 22) claimed members of the Oireachtas have “abjectly failed in their constitutional duty” by not introducing legislation to make abortion available in Ireland.

FAIR play to the Irish Examiner for bringing to the attention of parents the inadequacies in crèches around the country (October 30).

YOUR ‘Shocking and Deplorable’ headline on the creches’ survey (October 29) was unbalanced and sensationalist.

Figures released today show a drop in the number of women with Irish addresses who have been heading to the UK for abortions.

LAWYERS for the State will present opposing arguments in the High Court today on the right of a pregnant teenager in the care of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to travel to Britain for an abortion.

THE pro-life campaign yesterday said it was “not surprised” by the Irish Examiner/Lansdowne opinion poll, which showed a majority of under 35s are in favour of legalising abortion.

FEWER Irish women are travelling to Britain for abortions.

THE decision of EU industry ministers to postpone the vote sanctioning destructive embryonic stem-cell research should be welcomed.

THE Archbishop of Dublin yesterday made an eleventh-hour appeal to the Government to rescind a decision and vote against EU plans to fund embryonic stem cell research.

EARLIER this year, the Tánaiste, Mary Harney stated: “Ireland cannot and will not be involved in any experiments involving human embryos.“