A protester holds up two Irish flags in front of the General Post Office in Dublin | Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images Ireland will consider referendum on abortion rules Parliamentary advisory group recommends a near reversal of existing ban.

Ireland could hold a referendum to change its restrictive abortion rules as early as next year after a parliamentary advisory group voted overwhelmingly for constitutional change.

Eighty-seven percent of the 99 lay members of the Citizens’ Assembly voted over the weekend that the abortion rule, known as the eighth amendment of the constitution, “should not be retained in full.” In additional ballots this weekend, a majority of members went on to recommend that the termination of pregnancy without restriction should be lawful — a near reversal of Ireland’s existing rules.

Ireland has among the strictest abortion rules in Europe and beyond, with termination banned since 1983 when it was enshrined in the constitution. While some cases have been permitted where the life of the mother has been in danger, including from suicide, women generally must travel to the U.K. to terminate a pregnancy.

“This is a hugely significant vote which calls for Ireland’s abortion law to be not just reformed but revolutionized," said Katherine O'Brien, spokesperson for charity the British Pregnancy Advisory Service. "The restrictive framework around abortion has long lagged behind the views of the general public, as the Citizens’ Assembly has now made abundantly clear," she added.

Assembly chair and Supreme Court Judge Mary Laffoy praised the work of the assembly in its first assignment since forming last summer.

“They have engaged with some of the most complex pieces of legislation, immersed themselves in medical and ethical discourse and listened with respect to the voices and opinions of others. This has been to the benefit both of the process and to the wider conversation on this topic,” she said.

Laffoy will compile a final report for the Oireachtas, the Irish Houses of Parliament, by June. A cross-party parliamentary committee will then consider the next steps, and if it follows the assembly’s advice, set a date for a referendum.

This could be as early as next year, assembly spokesperson Nora Eastern said, but she cautioned it could take longer given the ruling Fine Gael party needs the help of other parties to pass legislation. And abortion remains a sensitive issue in the country where 78 percent of people identify as Catholic.

Given that abortion is prohibited in the constitution, only a referendum could change the existing abortion ban. Ireland’s parliament does not have the power to change the constitution.

Over the weekend, the assembly also voted on several related considerations, which will all be presented in the final report.

In the second ballot, 56 percent of the members voted that the eighth amendment, also known as Article 40.3.3, should be “amended or replaced.” And 57 percent recommended that it be replaced with a constitutional provision explicitly authorizing parliament to address termination of pregnancy, any rights of the unborn and any rights of the pregnant woman. In other words, it would be a matter for the Oireachtas to decide how to legislate on these issues.

The assembly also voted on what should be contained in this new legislation — what reasons, if any, for which termination of pregnancy should be lawful in Ireland, as well as any gestational limits that should apply.

Among some of the standout votes: 64 percent recommended that the termination of pregnancy without restriction should be lawful. Of that group, 48 percent recommended that termination without restriction should be lawful up to 12 weeks gestation; 44 percent recommended termination without restriction up to 22 weeks’ into pregnancy, and 8 percent recommended termination of pregnancy with no restriction to gestational age.

The majority of members (between 72 percent and 99 percent) recommended that termination should be lawful for almost any reason, including risk to the physical and mental health of the mother, pregnancy as a result of rape, fetal abnormality likely to result in death and socio-economic reasons.

The Citizens’ Assembly was set up last year to examine and advise the Oireachtas on topics including the eighth amendment. The assembly will next look at how best to respond to the challenges and opportunities of an aging population.

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