Church of Ireland Bishop to oppose abortion referendum

Church of Ireland Bishop John Neill has come out against the Government’s abortion referendum because he believes the proposed legislation is seriously flawed.

"I’m concerned that the constitution is not a good instrument to deal with this issue,"he said.

"We’ve already seen a great deal of discussion, particularly between psychiatrists, as to the validity of the threat of suicide as grounds for an abortion.

"If there is that doubt, it seems to me that to solve it simply by constitutional amendment is totally the wrong way."