Labour pushing for vote on abortion to be 'well under way' by summer

Labour has put pressure on Fine Gael to have the process of a referendum on the Eighth Amendment “well under way” by the summer.

While Labour wants a referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment, Fine Gael has only committed to holding a citizens’ assembly to discuss the issue.

Despite this, Labour has promised not only to hold a referendum but to win it and would be strongly campaigning for a yes vote.

Communications Minister Alex White said he would not be delivering ultimatums but a referendum on the Eighth Amendment, which currently gives equal status to the mother and her unborn child, would be a key issue when negotiating a new programme for government.

It comes as Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin called for “honesty and courage” from politicians on the issue of abortion.

Archbishop Martin said: “You cannot pretend to be a Catholic and leave aside a very vital part of Catholic teaching but the individual makes that decision.”

Mr White said there “definitely has to be a referendum” but he would not give an exact timeline as to when Labour would like to see a vote take place.

“The objective is to win change and to achieve change. If you set yourself that it has to be by December or it has to be March that then becomes the issue, that then becomes the stumbling block.

“We are often asked about redlines and deadlines and ultimatums, we are an experienced political party and our track record is there to demonstrate that, so if you look at what happened in the last five years on difficult issues like the X case, difficult issues for Fine Gael like the marriage equality referendum, we persuaded and convinced our partners in government and indeed the broader society that these were progressive changes that were worth making.

“Certainly we will deliver this in the early part of the next government in my view.”

Mr White admitted that Fine Gael and Labour share differing viewpoints on a number of issues, including the Eighth Ammendment, but believed his party can change opinions, including that of Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

“I know that there are many in Fine Gael who are reluctant to agree to change in this area, I witnessed many people in Fine Gael who were deeply reluctant to agree to the very limited change that was represented by the X-case legislation.

“I was very much aware then of particular views within Fine Gael resisting that, but we got through it.

“I don’t want to comment directly on the Taoiseach but I think in fairness to him he changed on other issues as well.”

Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin hit out at Fianna Fáil’s “archaic” view on the Eighth Amendment.

Fianna Fáil will give a free vote to deputies on the issue but would not initiate a referendum.

“At least when dealing with Fine Gael they want a process, Fianna Fáil are shutting down this conversation entirely.

“Fine Gael have offered a process, we have stated our position quite clearly but I think Fianna Fáil’s position on this is archaic, out of touch and that is very much the reason why they can’t return to government in any form.”

Mr White added that he “didn’t have them down in my list of centre-left parties”.

“I don’t necessarily regard Fianna Fáil, certainly not all of them, as centre left. I mean it’s the party that was essentially responsible for one of the most spectacular economic crashes in the building sector and the banking sector in modern economic history.”

Reacting to the archbishop’s comments, Mr White said the archbishop was completely legitimate in expressing his view that people be given the space to reflect on the issue.

For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE