FG looks to stem rebellion over abortion

The Fine Gael leadership is confident of limiting a back- bench revolt over planned laws allowing abortion in limited circumstances — despite around a dozen TDs holding strong reservations on the legislation.

Four of its TDs are expected to lose the party whip today when they vote against the second stage of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill — with more threatening to join the final vote later this month.

And it was widely anticipated that Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton will sacrifice her cabinet ambitions and find herself outside of the party fold by voting against the bill.

Senior Fine Gael sources said Ms Creighton “did not leave herself much wriggle room” after she called for a number of significant amendments — including the complete omission of the clause allowing the threat of suicide as grounds for abortion.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny later ruled out the removal of this clause saying: “As Taoiseach and head of Government I do not have the luxury to be able to pick and choose which constitutional requirement I will comply with.”

Ms Creighton also said she was “entirely perplexed” as to why the legislation does include the right to legal representation for the unborn. And she said it was “perfectly constitutional” and “the absolute minimum protection necessary in a civilised country” to impose a gestational term limit on when an abortion could be carried out.

During a Dáil speech lasting more than 26 minutes, Ms Creighton did not explicitly state how she would vote but said: “All I can do in making a decision on life and death — and that is what we are considering here — is consult my conscience, which is based on my sense of what is right and wrong.”

While a number of other Fine Gael TDs said they would not commit their final support to the bill until after amendments are debated, the party leadership was confident they will fall into line. Sources said the number of losses is likely to be about half a dozen.

Despite earlier attempts by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to seek a party consensus to support the bill, the party has been given a free vote and at least 12 of its 19 TDs will vote against it today.

Sinn Féin supports the bill, but its Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín will vote against it. “Neither my career — nor anybody else’s career in this house is worth a jot in comparison to the life of one mother and one child,” he told the Dáil yesterday.

During almost 10 hours of Dáil discussion on the issue, the Taoiseach also rejected claims he had broken his party’s’ pre-election promises on abortion: “Before the election Fine Gael promised we would not legalise abortion in Ireland. We are not and will not.”