Woman’s story led to Simon Coveney's 8th Amendment U-turn

The horrific story of a young Cork woman forced to travel alone to the UK for an abortion and return with her dead baby in her car led to Simon Coveney’s recent U-turn on termination, he has revealed.

The Tánaiste had expressed major concerns about his own Government’s legal proposals, but now insists that it was the story of a woman from Cobh who led to his dramatic change of heart.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Coveney has also, for the first time, accepted responsibility for the recent debacle which saw his proposal for a two-thirds Dáil majority requirement to change any future abortion laws slapped down within 12 hours of being floated.