Ireland votes to legalise ‘life-saving’ abortion

Legislators concluded a marathon debate at 5am on Thursday, and overwhelmingly voted in favour of the country’s first abortion bill, by 127 to 31.

The bill legalises abortion in exceptional cases where doctors deem a women’s life is at risk from her pregnancy.

The bill follows the death of Savita Halappanavar, who was 17 weeks pregnant, last year after doctors refused to give her an abortion. Halappanavar died after suffering a miscarriage and septicemia.

Abortion was illegal in Ireland in all cases until 1992, when a 14-year-old girl, who was suicidal and pregnant through statutory rape, was prevented from leaving the country to have an abortion.

The Irish supreme court ruled that there was a constitutional right to an abortion where there was a “real and substantial risk” to the life of the mother, but no legislation has ever been introduced.

Catholic conservatives have reacted angrily to the bill, and have vowed to drive Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael party from power, saying it has violated a 2011 campaign pledge that abortion would not be legalised.

Voting on the bill has led to the departure of Lucinda Creighton as Fine Gael’s minister of state for European affairs, after she voted against the government. Paschal Donohoe has replaced her.

The bill will be discussed in Ireland’s Seanad on Friday.