Labour TD risks being thrown out of party as abortion vote looms

Labour TD Anne Ferris has said she is prepared to be thrown out of the Labour Party for voting in favour of Clare Daly's fatal foetal abnormality bill this evening.

Labour Party Leader and Tanaiste Joan Burton said she believed the bill to be unconstitutional.

Wicklow Deputy Anne Ferris was one of 20 Labour members who wrote to former Minister for Health Dr James Reilly in 2012 in support of abortion being allowed in the case of fatal foetal abnormality.

Deputy Ferris said she would like to see Clare Daly's bill progress to Committee stage so that its provisions could be examined by legal and medical experts.

Speaking on RTE television last night, Deputy Ferris said she was willing to lose the whip on a "matter of principle"

Sinn Féin have said they will abstain from today’s vote, while Fianna Fáil TDs have a free vote.