A spokesman for Mr Coveney said: “The Tánaiste is looking for a two-third majority to be necessary if there was ever any attempt to alter the law in the future. To put that into context, that is more than the combined strength of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in the current Dáil. However, others including Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick and senators Paul Coghlan and Ray Butler expressed surprise at his remarks. Mr Fitzpatrick said he would not criticise Mr Coveney, insisting he was welcome to his own view. However, he stated he was “taken back” by the decision to support “abortion on demand” within the first trimester.

Source: The Irish Times March 27, 2018 00:00 UTC