According to a media report, Ireland as voted to hold, abortion legalising referendum on 25 May 2018.
The referendum will focus on whether to alter its constitution to legalise abortion. Apparently, the Senate voted in favour of holding the referendum.
Following the election where the country elected their first openly gay leader, they may be in the frame of mind to vote to legalise abortion. They would be amending the Irish eight amendment constitution where it recognises the equal right to life of the unborn and mother.
In my opinion, abortion will never be, accepted by everyone. There are those who will believe that life begins at fertilisation and others who dispute that idea. Life is just that, and whether we can prove or disprove when life begins, we have a responsibility to protect, the unborn.
However, we have to recognise that there are times when abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother, and in those cases, the life of the mother outweighs the life of the unborn.
If women are to be, given the right to choose in respect of abortion, then we should also have a time span where abortion is no longer a viable option. If there is nothing medically wrong with the mother, I believe after 20 weeks abortion should never be performed unless it is for a medical reason.
I am in favour of the up-coming Ireland referendum, to address this issue, given women can travel abroad to have an abortion they should be able to do so in their own country without being criminalised or imprisoned.