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SEVERAL TDS AND abortion rights activists intend to campaign for a referendum that would repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution – which gives equal right to life to a mother and her unborn baby – in the autumn.
The amendment, passed by 66 to 33 per cent in a referendum in 1983, has provoked considerable controversy in Irish politics and society over the last three decades leading to the X Case judgement that permits abortion where the life of a mother is at risk including from suicide.
United Left TD Joan Collins said that from September onwards, the repeal of the amendment, also known as Article 40.3.3, will be raised by her and other TDs as part of an active campaign.
“We will be raising it in the Dáil, the need to repeal it, have a referendum on it, which needs to happen,” she told TheJournal.ie this week. Independent TD John Halligan also said repeal “needs to happen”.
Those working with various abortion rights groups have also indicated their intention to be part of a campaign but the government is unlikely to push for any referendum in the wake of the difficulties faced getting the X Case legislated for in recent weeks.
However, the Labour Party leader and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has acknowledged that the current legislation is not perfect and falls short in the case of women who are the victims of rape or incest.
“The people voted in 1983 to insert an equal right to life of a mother and her unborn child into our Constitution, and now, thirty years later, we giving effect to that right. Nothing more. But nothing less either,” he told the Dáil during the recent lengthy debate.
Article 40.3.3 reads as follows:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”
Recently released State papers have shown how the government was warned internally that the 1983 amendment could in fact allow a constitutional right to abortion as opposed to prohibiting it as campaigners for it had intended.
This transpired when the Supreme Court verdict in the case of X, a 14-year-old girl who was suicidal as a result being raped and becoming pregnant, gave an explicit right to a woman to have an abortion in circumstances where there is a real and substantial risk to her life, including risk of suicide.
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Stayed in Limerick many times and never felt threatened or worried at all.
Sound bunch of folk.
I guess “Limerickman shot in face” makes for better headlines than;
man shot at from a distance, a couple of pellets ricochet and hit him in the face.
That’s what actually happened.
You don’t live here so you can’t really know can you. Spot on Mike. I live here all my life and I have never been in a fight here assaulted. Its all a myth to feed the press. yes crime happens here like it does in every county in Ireland.
More bad news from limerick city, just when things seem to quieten down this happens. It’s very unfair on the majority of decent people there
did you say,
more bad news from Kerry last week?
more bad news from Dublin?
more bad news from galway?
Some sick bastards out there.
Well he was hardly shot for doing charity work
Yeah Mick I suppose you’re right but it’s still a savage thing to do.
Is that what you said when Shane Geoghegan was murdered or what about Roy Collins? you dont know the full story yet so dont go around making stupid comments like that.
True Aaron I suppose,I apologise
Shot in face and recovering well……………………
a pea shooter was it?
Easy to take cheap shots. Spend some time with the people of limerick before you judge them. Violent crime is pervasive everywhere, but some choose to only comment on limerick. I wonder why?
No, violent crime is not pervasive everywhere.
For a city of a modest 90,000 inhabitants, it sure seems to have a disproportionate crime problem.
the only thing disproportionate is the biased reporting and comments.
Imagine 200,000 people living in limerick and not a murder in two years, show me a police force in the world who wouldn’t love those figures.
Limerick is the safest city in Ireland.
Dublin galway cork Waterford Kerry, Kildare etc have higher murder rates.
Galway does not have a higher murder rate. Every year for the past decade, Galway’s propotional rate of murders has been lower than that of Limerick.
galway has a higher murder rate…..
there hasn’t been a murder in limerick in two years.
guy murdered in athenry 3 weeks ago.
American stabbed to death in galway city 16 months ago
no murders in limerick in two years…………….
‘there hasn’t been a murder in limerick in two years.’
There were two murders in Limerick last year.
http://www.limerickpost.ie/2013/06/20/limerick-has-highest-rate-of-sexual-offences/
I believe it suffers, at least equally, of a disproportionate level of negative media coverage
sorry,
One murder in jan 2012, none since. The post also reports that limerick has the highest number of gards, it hasn’t.
Galway has a higher murder rate than limerick this year and last year.
seriously folks,
what was he shot with? Think logically, put yere hatred aside………shot in face…recovering well a few hours later.
It had to be a pea shooter.
Gadfly: The bullet could have glanced off bone in his face? I read about a guy in NYC years ago who was shot twice in the head at point blank range. Both bullets ran under the skin along his skull and came out the back of his head without cause any major damage…….. other than two small puddles on his melon when it rained I’d imagine.
Anyway, ballistics be a quayre yolk
Gadfly, most likely the chap who was shot was lucky. These criminals who have the guns are not usually professionally trained in using and storing them, they mostly hide them outside so im betting the bullet was damp thus nullifying its full power.
he was hit with a couple of pellets
Google “shotgun”.
Dublin is far worse than limerick
The question is when will the idiots that run the country tackle gun crimes.
The way the idiots that run the country have their admiring noses up the arse of the USA, going by the yank circus in town last week, you are lucky that guns and ammo aren’t freely available at yer local Dunnes, Easons or Supervalu. Don’t expect any change in gun crime here any time soon.
BREAKING NEWS
In a ground breaking 60 second operation on a Limerick man surgeons in ULH have prevented two pellets from reaching his subcutaneous tissue by picking them straight off his skin.
Amazing,
A double murder in Kerry, stabbings and shootings everyday in dublin cork galway and Waterford and the trolls on the journo wait for a limerick story………………
ye get Anti limerick hatred comes mammas tits
Aaahh come on lads ya couldn’t bring the family to limbo!!
Seen bloke getting chased with a machete while I was in a chipper after a night out down there!!
When was there last a shooting in Galway?
galway is just stabbings and kicking people to death.
and raping kids
and pedofile rings.
jim that’s a lie……………..and you know it so that makes you a troll
@pauric.. I seen a bloke get chased with a large machete as I was waiting for my spice burger to be cooked…
I haven’t retired to limerick since
*returned
I was gang molested in limerick. What a smelly inbred kip.
spice burger………….really
you should have said chips………
I know of no chippers in limerick that sell spice burgers
paul
pity it you wasn’t the guy jim saw been followed with a machete
Man shot in the face
Do you see?
Acually, being pedantic,
he was shot in the chest from a distance, a couple of pellets hit him in the face.
I guess “Limerickman shot in face” makes for better headlines.
The Limerick tourist board really have a job on their hands.
Limerick – best seen through your rear view mirror :D
True. Cos nobody has ever been shot in any other county in Ireland. Oh… wait….. crime is everywhere.
Only good things to say about Limerick City. Great pubs, clubs & restaurants. Had many great nights out there. Friendly people up for the craic.
In fairness I’ve been to all of the cities in Ireland and Limerick was the only one I wouldn’t go back to. It’s scary the type of people walking around there, I felt so uncomfortable.. I’ve got nothing against Limerick at all but yeah, I wouldn’t be rushing to move there..
Seriously? In spite of its reputation it’s actually one of the safer cities in Ireland. Personally, I think it’s a great place with a lot going for it. A real problem is that crime that happens in Limerick tends to get exaggerated and over-reported versus crime elsewhere.
Never said anything about reputation but the actual feeling of being there!
Tara,
You’ve never been to Limerick, if you had then you’d know that the people walking aroung middle abbey st/henry st/o Connell street/parnell st/ the boardwalk are the scariest people you’d meet anywhere.
So you’re just trolling.
@ Tara. That was probably indigestion. Did you have a garlic/cheese chip at the Lobster pot?
Ah the lobster pot, brings back great memories. Ordering a curry chip then launching it at some other poor fecker who I thought looked at me funny!! Those were happy times!
Jeez Richie, they sound pretty happy alright
God Tony the lobster pot is gone a long time ;)
Please Cliodhna…. just call me Tony
Ok “Tony” ;)
Was there something in particular that scared you?
helloooooooooooo
It’s reported as a fatal shooting on breaking news ????
really?
On the news where I am it’s reporting that he was hit with a couple of pellets and he’s sitting up in a hospital bed.
wishful thinking from the cork examiner.
have your say