Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 June 2018
22. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the way in which it will be ensured that women from Northern Ireland will have unfettered access to abortion services in County Donegal in view of its proximity to Northern Ireland and in further view of the fact that women in the jurisdiction do not have access to full healthcare rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28255/18]
View answerThe Thirty-Sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018 seeks to delete Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution and substitute it with wording confirming that the Oireachtas may make laws for the regulation of the termination of pregnancy. The Bill passed all stages in the Houses of the Oireachtas on 28 March 2018. A Polling Day Order for a referendum was held on 25 May 2018. A certificate with the provisional result of the referendum was published in Iris Oifigiuil on Tuesday, 29 May 2018.
Three applications for permission to challenge the result of the referendum have been made to the High Court under section 42 of the Referendum Act 1994. The High Court began to hear the applications on Tuesday the 26 June. It is possible that the hearings may run over a number of days, after which a decision will be made by the Court.
Work is ongoing on the legislation to regulate termination of pregnancy with the intention of finalising it by mid-July. This legislation will be based on the General Scheme of a Bill to Regulate Termination of Pregnancy approved by Government on the 27 of March and published on my Department’s website.
A range of issues are being considered in developing the legislation and operational response to the referendum. I will continue to keep opposition spokespersons and the wider House updated on developments.
