Irish abortion bill passes in senate
- Published
A bill to legalise abortion services in the Republic of Ireland has passed all stages of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament).
On Thursday evening the report and final stages of the bill passed in the Seanad (Irish Senate), reports Irish Broadcaster RTÉ.
The Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill will now be given to the President to be signed into law.
The Seanad spent nine hours debating the bill on Thursday.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Irish Health Minister Simon Harris tweeted his support for the latest developments.
The Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill allows for abortion services to be provided "on demand" up to the 12th week of a pregnancy, in the case of a fatal foetal abnormality or where the physical or mental health of the mother is in danger.
Since the bill's introduction at first stage in October, there have been some minor changes, including a decision to review the legislation after three years, rather than five years as was originally planned.
Two different doctors will be allowed to assess a woman in early pregnancy and the offences section has been moved from the front of the bill.
- Published6 December 2018
- Published4 October 2018
- Published18 September 2018
- Published26 May 2018
