Abortion has dominated political proceedings since the beginning of this year, and yesterday it moved out of the legislative forum and into the hands of the people.
The Government confirmed the referendum on the Eighth Amendment would be held on Friday, May 25th. There had been some discussion on bringing the date forward, but the Government decided against it.
While politicians will continue to be questioned and probed on the proposition being put to the people, the campaign will be led by civic society.
However, the public commentary by Tánaiste Simon Coveney in recent days has damaged the Government’s campaign for a Yes vote.
Mr Coveney announced in January he was unable to support access to terminations up to 12 weeks but reversed his position on the matter this week and pledged his support to the proposition being put forward by the Government.
The decision sparked a backlash from the anti-abortion campaign, who claimed Mr Coveney and politicians could not be trusted on this issue.
In response, the Tánaiste proposed a two-thirds majority lock if there are to be any future changes to abortion laws. That position was confirmed to be unconstitutional by the Attorney General.
In an attempt to avoid further public criticism of Mr Coveney, the Cabinet agreed a haphazard measure whereby abortion laws would go through a process “above and beyond” the normal legislative scrutiny. Nobody is quite sure what that means.
Mr Coveney yesterday spoke to The Irish Times and Newstalk and raised further questions about his stance. He told this paper his support for the Government’s proposals was “conditional” and told Newstalk of his expectation that women in the latter stages of pregnancy would require a scan before a termination can be procured.
Both statements were rejected by Minister for Health Simon Harris at a press conference yesterday.
Although this referendum is unlikely to be decided on the Tánaiste’s position, his public remarks may have done irrevocable damage to the Government’s campaign.
Can the Government tackle homelessness?
The stark figures released yesterday highlight the extent of the homelessness crisis in Ireland.
Almost 10,000 people are now defined as homeless, and 3,755 of those are children.
The lack of supply, no doubt, is fuelling the problem, but those working in the sector have now lost confidence in the Government’s ability to resolve the problem.
Yesterday, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy insisted economic indicators were moving in the right direction and that supply deficiencies are being addressed.
However, he claimed there were new trends emerging that are driving more people into homelessness. He declined to state what they are and has asked for a report from the Dublin Regional Homelessness Executive.
This crisis will dominate Dáil business today, but then the House will rise for a two-week recess.
