A decision on how to proceed with the abortion issue will be back in the hands of the Government today with the publication of the abortion report by the All-Party Committee on the Constitution.
After nearly 12 months, the committee has failed to reach a consensus and will outline three different approaches, reflecting the views of Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. The report will go to the Cabinet subcommittee on abortion, which will make a recommendation to the Government. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, favours a referendum in tandem with legislation.
Fine Gael's approach is to concentrate on a plan to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies and to leave the legal position unchanged. This is based on the contention that constitutional and/or legislative measures would have no impact on abortions carried out in Ireland because none is.
The second option, favoured by the Labour Party, is to support the plan to reduce crisis pregnancies accompanied by legislation to protect medical intervention to safeguard the life of the mother within the existing constitutional framework.
Option three, put forward by Fianna Fail, is to support the plan to reduce crisis pregnancies and for a combination of referendum and legislation to allow for current medical practice excluding suicide.
Four of the independent TDs, Ms Mildred Fox, Mr Harry Blaney, Mr Tom Gildea and Mr Jackie Healy-Rae have said they will withdraw their support unless the Taoiseach holds a referendum.
The all-party committee was asked to draw up a report into abortion after the publication of the Green Paper on Abortion by then Minister for Health, Mr Co wen, in October 1999. Chaired by Fianna Fail TD Mr Brian Lenihan, it held public hearings in the summer and received more than 100,000 submissions.
The report also recommends a u£50 million strategy to tackle crisis pregnancies. The committee is recommending the provision of alternative preventive services and post-abortion services, consisting of counselling and medical check-ups.
On the Cabinet subcommittee are the Minister for Health, Mr Martin; the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke; the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue; the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell; and Ms Liz O'Donnell, the PD Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.