Seven months after the referendum that began the procedure for decriminalizing abortion in Ireland, Parliament passed the bill on Thursday (see In Ireland, marketing authorisation for the abortion pill and Irish Referendum: abortion decriminalised).
The bill provides for unconditional abortion up to 12 weeks, as well as if the mother’s life or health is in danger. Abortion will also be possible if the foetus presents a condition that is likely to lead to death in utero. A three-day cooling-off period must be observed before the abortion.
Several amendments were rejected, one of which proposed the complete decriminalization of abortion, and another which created no-protest zones around abortion clinics.
To come into force, the law still needs to be signed by President Michael Higgins.
For further reading:
85% of Irish doctors believe that abortion cannot be considered “routine general practice”
Ireland: nurses and midwives follow in doctors’ footsteps and refuse to practise abortion
Abortion in Ireland – draft bill delayed
Ireland: legalisation of abortion enacted
Faster access to abortion in Ireland
Ireland: Parliament considers legalizing abortion
In Ireland, amendment intended to ban abortion on disability grounds is rejected
AFP (13/12/2018)