The option favoured by the Labour Party has received support from a range of organisations promoting at least some availability of abortion. Abortion Reform, a coalition grouping, said: "The second approach offered by the all-party Oireachtas committee is the only approach that protects Irishwomen's lives fully. Both the referendum approach and the `do-nothing' approach ignore the reality of suicidal pregnant girls and women such as those in the X and C cases." It urged legislation to implement the X case judgment, and rejected the idea of another divisive referendum.
The Dublin Abortion Rights Group also rejected as unnecessary the option of another referendum. It said abortion and women's lives and health "must cease to be a tool to be utilised by religious fundamentalists to exert political power in this State".
Its spokeswoman, Ms Ivana Bacik, said: "The introduction of an amendment prohibiting abortion in cases of threatened suicide could quite conceivably result in the death of a woman by her own hand." The Irish Family Planning Association endorsed the committee's proposals on crisis pregnancies. "We also strongly welcome the committee's clear recognition of the vital role of emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) as a means of preventing unintended pregnancy," its chief executive, Mr Tony O'Brien, said in a statement.
The discussion on the limitation of the effect of the X case judgment was redundant. "Not a single abortion has taken place in Ireland on those grounds."
The ICCL Women's Committee said any attempt to restrict the Supreme Court judgment in the X case could endanger the lives of suicidal pregnant women.
The Association of Irish Humanists said none of the outlined options tackled the real issues involved, and urged a referendum.