Growing pressure to clear path for referendum

Pressure is growing on the Coalition to pave the way for a referendum on whether the constitutional ban on abortion should be lifted or not.

Senior Labour figures said a vote was needed, but that the question was unlikely to be put to the people during the lifetime of this Government.

Tánaiste Joan Burton said Labour supported lifting the ban by repealing the 8th amendment but that her party and Fine Gael had only agreed to legislate for the X-case and not beyond that.