Report warns on issuing abortion ‘guides’

The Government has been warned that merely issuing guidelines on abortion would not have sufficient legal force or satisfy the European Court of Human Rights.

Next Tuesday, the report of the expert group set up last year to examine the decision of the 2010 European Court of Human Rights in the ABC case is due to go before Cabinet. The court ruled in Dec 2010 that there should be access to an abortion where a woman’s life was at risk because of pregnancy, including the risk of suicide.

It has emerged the report, which has been reviewed by Health Minister James Reilly, tells the Government there are two broad options, legislation or guidelines.