In his address to the Dáil today, the leader of Fianna Fáil, Micheál Martin, said that he now supports the removal of the eighth amendment from the Irish constitution.
Martin spoke about how he came to the decision after reflecting and assessing the evidence that was presented to the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment.
“I believe that we should remove the eighth amendment from Bunreacht na hÉireann and I will vote accordingly”, he said. However, he added that there “remains a significant issue concerning whether we should simply remove the amendment or replace it”.
During his speech, Martin said that “retaining the eighth amendment will not make Ireland a country without abortion. Nothing we say or do here could make Ireland a country without abortion. The eighth amendment does not mean that Ireland is a country without abortion”.
Commenting on the work of the committee, Martin said that there is now “more than enough information available for each of us to be able to decide our attitude to the core recommendations” of the report, including “what changes should be made following a referendum”.
The Irish Times reported that Martin previously described himself as having a pro-life perspective, and that his views contradict many of his party members. Martin said in his speech that “if our views change, if the facts become clearer then we must be willing to act accordingly. No one can dispute the fact that thousands of Irish woman have an abortion each year”.
Martin continued to speak about the women who travel abroad to have abortions, saying that by not having the support of their doctors they endure trauma, costs and risk “further damage to their mental and physical health”.
“If we are sincere in our compassion for women and if we are sincere in respecting their choices then we must act”, he added.
He concluded his speech, saying that “we are also obliged to consider the realities of Irish society today” and that he believes there is a justified case for change.
Martin’s support of repealing the eighth amendment comes as many members of both houses of the Oireactas have come out in support of the removal of the eighth amendment. However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the leader of Fine Gael, has not yet set out his stance on the eighth amendment.
