NWCI welcomes Oireachtas Committee proposal not to retain Eighth Amendment in full

Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2017

In response to the Joint Oireachtas Committee voting for a proposal not to retain the Eighth Amendment in full,

Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) said,

“We welcome the broad agreement on the Joint Oireachtas Committee that the status quo should not continue. This is a move in the right direction of ensuring that all women’s and girls’ reproductive health needs are being met and that doctors in Ireland will be able to care for their patients in Ireland.”

She continued,

“Given the unpredictable and exceptional aspects of many pregnancy experiences and the need for legislators to be able to respond to technological and medical advances, we believe that the Constitution is an unsuitable place for limiting or regulating provision. This is why NWCI advocates for a complete removal of the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution. Every pregnancy is different, every decision is personal. The complexity of healthcare decisions has no place in the Constitution.”

“In addition to removing the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution, NWCI advocates for legislation that will allow for the availability of abortion in early pregnancy for all women who need it. Where a wanted pregnancy turns into a crisis pregnancy at a later stage in pregnancy, we advocate for legislation that would allow for abortions in order to protect the health, including mental and physical health of the woman, and where there is a nonviable pregnancy.”

NWCI will be launching Every Women – NWCI’s Model for Reproductive Healthcare on the 16th November. More information is available on www.nwci.ie

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For more information, please contact Silke Paasche, NWCI, Tel. 085 8589104