TANAISTE Simon Coveney has pledged his support to proposals allowing abortion up to 12 weeks.
Having previously said he does not believe there should be unrestricted access to abortion at any point in a pregnancy, the statement displays a significant turnaround in the politician’s stance.
Coveney held a series of meetings with the Foreign Health Minister and clinicians in recent weeks, which seems to have influenced his stance.
He said that he will now support the law providing it is coupled with “strict medical guidelines”.
Writing in today’s Irish Independent, Mr Coveney said: “When it comes to prescribing abortion pills in early pregnancy, I have struggled most with this issue.
“If we do nothing, we know pills will continue to be purchased online and taken without medical advice or supervision. We cannot knowingly allow this to continue, given the dangers involved.”
Minister for Health Simon Harris will bring new material to Cabinet this week on the type of legislation the Government will propose in the event that the Eighth Amendment is repealed.
