The odds that Ireland is facing its fourth referendum on abortion in little more than 30 years have significantly shortened after Taoiseach Enda Kenny said a constitutional review would begin within six months if he is re-elected.

Speaking in London, he announced that a citizens’ convention to debate changes to the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which bans abortion, will be set up within six months of the general election.

The body would provide for a debate to be held in a “thorough, broad, respectful and comprehensive manner”, following which Fine Gael TDs will have a free vote in the Dáil.

Labour Party leader Joan Burton claimed it was her party that had forced Mr Kenny to move on abortion.

Fine Gael Ministers rejected charges that Mr Kenny’s surprise declaration to his parliamentary party on Wednesday that TDs and Senators would enjoy a free vote on abortion was prompted by pressure from two Cabinet colleagues, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe.

However, both Ministers, along with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, had earlier argued the party could not enter the election campaign without laying down a clear position.

‘The X case’

Denying he had “bounced” Mr Kenny into making a decision, Mr Donohoe said: “This is the Taoiseach who dealt with the X case, a matter that no other taoiseach, no other party leader wanted to deal with.

“He dealt with it because he understood the sensitivities involved in this matter. The Taoiseach has now outlined a similar process will be put in place to deal with this matter,” he declared.

Regardless of their attitudes to abortion, Fine Gael TDs support Mr Kenny’s constitutional convention, believing that he has largely neutralised the abortion question for next year’s election campaign.

However, a convention report, if one is agreed, will create pressure by midterm on a Fine Gael-led administration to hold a referendum on its recommendations.

Speaking last night to Labour councillors, Ms Burton said: “Yet again, we have seen other parties begin to slowly come round to our agenda.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, in their own ways, have effectively acknowledged the growing momentum for a referendum on the Eighth Amendment in the next government term.”

Labour had, yet again, led from the front on this issue, “and we’ll lead from the front in delivering a referendum in our second term”.

Irritation

Mr Kenny’s irritation with his deputy leader, James Reilly, who opened up the debate by saying that women carrying foetuses with fatal abnormalities should be able to have abortions in Ireland, was still evident yesterday, even though he said that he had “no difficulty” with Dr Reilly.

“Dr Reilly is perfectly entitled to his personal views. My issue was that it would be impossible to have an early referendum on an issue that is as complex as this, without the people understanding fully what is involved in it.”

Saying previous governments had shied away from the issue, Mr Kenny said: “No government in the intervening period had the courage or the resolution to do what they were required to do, that is to legislate for what the law says, to clarify the law. My Government did.

“I’m very well aware of the many stories that were told to me, arising from the difficulties women have obviously had in this and I feel the sensitivity of that.

“That’s why this has to be a thorough, comprehensive, empathetic and sensitive discussion.”