The only options available are to retain the article as it is, or, in effect, to remove it and allow the Oireachtas to legislate as appropriate. Which is where we get to the second misapprehension - generally coming under the slogan ‘don’t trust the politicians’. The argument is that we shouldn’t give free rein to the Oireachtas to legislate on abortion because this will inevitably lead to abortion on demand. This is not the sort of political system that is about to introduce a radical liberalization of abortion law. If on May the 25th we vote to change the Constitution, this will give the Oireachtas the power to legislate on terminations of pregnancy.

Source: The Irish Times May 24, 2018 05:26 UTC