Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday in the House, the Taoiseach said, "I heard yesterday, on, I think, the "Six One News", Deputy Ó Cuív ... say we could somehow decriminalise the abortion pill or decriminalise women who seek abortions". I said neither of those things and I hope the Taoiseach will withdraw the allegation. He went on to say that I suggested we could reduce the penalty for women who have abortions from 14 years in prison. I did say that. In the Dáil yesterday, the Taoiseach stated that it is not possible. It is, of course, possible to change, by means of ordinary legislation, the criminal penalty relating to an offence under the Constitution. I will give two examples of this. Article 40.6.1 of the Constitution requires a criminal penalty in accordance with the law of blasphemy but the Defamation Act 2009 requires only a fine, not a prison term, for that offence. The Minister for Justice and Equality at the time that legislation was introduced, Dermot Ahern, said prosecutions were unlikely to result.

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