Pro-life protesters ask voters to think about their stance on abortion before the election

Voters have been asked to think about the parties’ positions on abortion when they go to the polls this year.

Local and European elections are expected to take place in 2024, while the next general election is due to take place next spring.

Crowds gathered in Dublin on Monday for the annual March for Life.

EilIs Mulroy, from the Pro Life campaign, spoke at the event in Molesworth Street.

She said the campaign would release a “comprehensive voter guide” in the coming weeks, which she said “will serve as an invaluable guide to pro-life voters as they decide how to vote in the upcoming election.”

Ms Mulroy also claimed the number of abortions performed in the state was “skyrocketing”, based on recent responses to parliamentary questions regarding reimbursements to abortion providers in 2023.

She called it “devastating” and said efforts had been made between now and Election Day to encourage people to “think pro-life” before voting.

The rally took place amid an ongoing political feud over blocking recommendations from an independent review of the state’s abortion laws.

Lawyer Marie O’Shea was commissioned by the Department of Health in 2022 to carry out a review of legislation introduced after a referendum on the Eighth Amendment in 2018.

In her 2023 review report, Ms O’Shea made a series of recommendations. However, more than a year later, many of the most important proposals have still not been implemented.

Among the recommendations proposed by the lawyer is the removal of the mandatory three-day waiting period between a woman’s first medical consultation and access to abortion treatment or medication.

The review also recommends that the threat of criminal sanctions be removed for doctors found to have acted outside the provisions of abortion legislation, and that the HSE be given the opportunity to ensure that the provision of services is not disrupted due to problems linked to conscientious objections held by doctors. nursing staff.

Ms O’Shea also called for a review of the legislative definition relating to abortion in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly continues to review the review before presenting final proposals to Cabinet.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has insisted any proposals to change the state’s abortion laws must be “carefully considered”.

He said consideration of the recommendations should be treated with “the same sensitivity” as the debate around the Eighth Amendment referendum.

Mr Harris said he wanted to “respect” the diversity of views on the issue and “achieve consensus”.