Fine Gael TDs split on holding vote on abortion
Government chief whip Paul Kehoe is not in favour of such a move, setting himself on a collision course with Health Minister Leo Varadkar and other Cabinet colleagues, who want to liberalise the party’s stance.
Fine Gael is now braced for a damaging row in the run-up to the looming general election, as the issue looks set to dominate party debate on what should go in the manifesto.
Mr Varadkar has said that he will actively campaign for a referendum on repealing the amendment, which gives equal legal status to the life of the mother and the unborn, because he says it has a “chilling” effect on doctors.
A poll published in the Sunday Times yesterday found a majority of Fine Gael TDs are in favour of a referendum. However, representing the party’s more traditional, conservative grassroots, Mr Kehoe has come out against the reform.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner before the weekend poll, he said: “Do I want a repeal of the Eighth Amendment? Personally, I am not strong on having a referendum on it. Will I be shouting from the rooftops for a referendum? No, I won’t be shouting from the rooftops for a referendum.”
Noting that Fine Gael lost TDs and senators over the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, Mr Kehoe said the party remained divided on the matter.
“That was a very difficult issue for a lot of our party members at the time, and we lost a number of colleagues from the Fine Gael party because of that issue,” said Mr Kehoe.
“We, as a party, will vote on the manifesto before the next general election, and debate what is in, or what is out, of the manifesto, so I will leave it up to the party and what they decide.
“If the party decides to vote it in then that’s OK, but if the party do not decide to put it in, then that’s OK as well. It is an issue where there are extremely emotive arguments on both sides.”
The chief whip said the Government deserved credit for bringing in X case legislation and holding the marriage equality referendum.
“This is a huge social issue,” he said. “There have been very strong arguments on both sides of the issue.
“This Government has tackled social issues and had the strength to do what no other government had the strength to do in the past 20 years and tackle a number of the social issues.
“If the Government has a referendum [on repealing the Eighth Amendment] then that is up to the people to do what they want to do, like we had in the marriage equality referendum.”
Former European affairs minister Lucinda Creighton was the most high-profile rebel to be expelled from Fine Gael over her opposition to the X case legislation in 2013. Her replacement as Fine Gael candidate in Dublin South East, Kate O’Connell, is pro-choice and says it is “barbaric” that Irish women are still forced to travel abroad for terminations of non-viable pregnancies.
Mr Varadkar has pledged to “advocate” for a referendum on repeal of the Eighth Amendment. Describing himself as pro-life, Mr Varadkar called for a debate on repealing the amendment in the Dáil last December.
Children’s Minister James Reilly has also called for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, while Taoiseach Enda Kenny has refused to be drawn on the matter.
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