Abortion vote - A changed and changing Ireland

This evening the 166 members of the 31st Dáil will vote on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

The Bill is expected to be passed by a solid majority as it has support — and opponents — in every grouping in the house.

The almost unprecedented toe-the-line discipline imposed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore on their deputies means its rejection would represent one of the great upsets in Irish parliamentary history. At this stage only the most optimistic opponents of the legislation still imagine that possible.