Leo Varadkar reserves his opinion on Eighth Amendment

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has declined to publicly back official plans to repeal the Eighth Amendment, allow unrestricted abortion access up to 12 weeks and other law changes, until he meets Fine Gael colleagues in January.

Mr Varadkar failed to support the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment yesterday, just 24 hours after they were agreed to a series of votes by the cross-party group.

In a historic meeting on Wednesday, the committee agreed to recommend repealing the Eighth Amendment, allowing unrestricted access to abortion up to 12 weeks, and decriminalising terminations in Ireland for women and by licensed doctors.

It also allowed for abortions in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest, when a woman’s life, health, and mental health is at risk, and other matters.

The recommendations will now be sent to the Oireachtas by next Wednesday before being debated by the Dáil and Seanad in January.

Should the Dáil and Seanad support the recommendations, they will then be sent to Cabinet to be used as the basis of the wording of a referendum next May.

The committee recommendations have increased the pressure on Mr Varadkar to publicly confirm whether he will campaign in favour of the referendum.

However, speaking to reporters before an EU Council meeting in Brussels, the Taoiseach declined to back the recommendations until a Fine Gael meeting next month.

“That is really to be decided,” the Taoiseach said when asked if he would be willing to support a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, to be followed by legislation for unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks.

“We set out a process here a couple of years ago and that process is coming to a conclusion,” he said. “Both I and members of the Government are going to spend the Christmas period understanding that.

“We will then have a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party in early January where I’ll hear the views of the Fine Gael party and after that there will be a debate in the Dáil and the Government will discuss it.”

Mr Varadkar’s statement came despite the fact there is a growing belief in Leinster House that ministers may have to support next year’s referendum as they hold Government positions.

However, like Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael is otherwise allowing TDs, senators, councillors, and members a free vote on the issue in a bid to quell damaging division.

Prominent pro-choice Fine Gael member, Health Minister Simon Harris, has already said it would “make sense” to back whatever recommendations came from the committee, and is finalising draft heads of bill on what laws would replace the Eighth Amendment.

It is understood these will include allowing abortion up to 12 weeks through a GP-led service that will include a three-day cooling-off period.