Minister of State says he will not support the repeal of the Eighth

The Minister of State, Patrick O'Donovan, has today said that he will not support the proposed repeal of the Eighth Amendment. 

According to RTÉ News, the junior minister made the comments ahead of a special Cabinet meeting due to take place tomorrow, where the government is expected to finalise its plans on how to proceed with the upcoming referendum. 

Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Mr O'Donovan said that while he believes the referendum should go ahead, he will not support a repeal vote. 

However, he did say that he would need to wait to see what question is proposed before he could give a definitive answer. 

Meanwhile, members of the Social Democrats party are calling on the Attorney General to publish his advice on the wording of the referendum as soon as possible.

"If the Eighth Amendment is repealed, legislation to allow for abortion in certain circumstances will be brought before the Oireachtas."

"It is imperative that there be clarity on the powers of the Oireachtas to legislate based on the decision of the people" said Catherine Murphy, the joint leader of the Social Democrats.

"The Attorney General's advice to the Government on the referendum wording should be published, and subject to rigorous analysis.

While no official date has yet been set, the referendum on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment is expected to take place in May or June of this year.