Repealing the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution instead of replacing it with a revised version will leave too much uncertainty around Ireland’s future laws on abortion, a minister of state has warned. Patrick O’Donovan said he will not support the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in this summer’s anticipated referendum. The Government is set to imminently outline proposals to amend abortion laws if the Eighth Amendment were to fall in the referendum, potentially paving the way for a dramatic liberalisation of the current position. Mr O’Donovan said the current state of the law was "not tolerable", but he warned a vote to repeal could have "unintended consequences". A referendum on the Eighth Amendment is expected in late May or early June.

Source: Evening echo January 28, 2018 16:30 UTC