Labour's call for legislation to govern the availability of abortion here has been condemned by the Pro-Life Campaign, writes Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent.
A report recommending legislation, which was drawn up by a committee led by Mr James Wrynne, will go before the party's conference in Killarney this weekend. Women, it says, should be entitled to have abortions in limited circumstances, though the legislation should stay inside the scope of the current constitutional wording.
In September 2001, Labour delegates passed a motion by one vote supporting a woman's right to choose, even though the party leadership wanted a more simply worded resolution.
The Labour plan would allow for abortions if the mother is at risk of suicide, if her pregnancy poses a risk of "significant injury" or if the foetus has no chance of being born alive.
The Pro Life Campaign's spokeswoman, Dr Ruth Cullen, said abortion had been introduced elsewhere on similar grounds, though it had always led to widespread abortion.
The Labour Party, she said, had chosen to ignore evidence to the Oireachtas last year, which warned that having an abortion increased a woman's tendency to commit suicide, not lessened it.
"It also fails to acknowledge that Ireland is one of the safest countries for pregnant women and that our pro-life ethos has if anything helped rather than hindered our outstanding record in maternal care," Dr Cullen said.
She added: "Rather than proposing such sweeping legislative changes, Labour should instead commit itself to joining the campaign for additional resources to create a more welcoming society for expectant mothers and their unborn."