Only one of the four contenders for the leadership of the Labour Party has said he is in favour of a woman's right to choose to have an abortion.
Mr Eamon Gilmore told a meeting organised by Labour Women in Dublin on Saturday that he supported the controversial pro-choice position adopted by the party conference last year. "I feel we should legislate in this country particularly where a woman's life or health is at risk," he said.
"To some extent the whole issue of abortion is being overtaken in any event by the availability of post-conception pills and I think over the next five to 10 years the debate is most likely to centre on that issue," he added.
Each of the candidates was asked two questions on the issue: whether they supported a woman's right to choose and whether they would legislate for abortion.
Mr Brendan Howlin said he did not support a woman's right to choose but he favoured an expansion of the current X case judgment to legislate for abortion in hard cases such as the Deirdre de Barra case highlighted during the last referendum.
Ms de Barra told at the time of being prompted to have an abortion because the foetus she was carrying had a congenital abnormality that meant it could not survive outside the womb.
"There is a need to accommodate cases like that in our law as well as other hard cases," he said.
Ms Róisín Shortall said she did not support a woman's right to choose if it meant abortion on demand irrespective of circumstances. Mr Pat Rabbitte did not give a definite Yes or No answer. He would not state his position until a commission set up by the party to look at the pro-choice motion adopted by the party at its annual conference had completed its report.
Saturday's meeting was among the first of several party meetings being held across the State in coming weeks to give party members an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates on different issues. The next takes place in the Imperial Hotel, Cork, tomorrow night and it will be followed by meetings in Navan, Sligo, Kilkenny and Clonmel.