IRISH GOVERNMENT PLANS NEW ABORTION REFERENDUM (CWNews.com)

DUBLIN, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- The Irish government will seek
a national referendum on abortion this autumn, the Sunday Business
Post of Dublin has revealed.

The measure, which will be put before the Irish voters in October or
early November, would outlaw direct abortion.

Although the electorate has twice voted to ban abortion in Ireland,
the country's Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that a pregnant woman is
entitled to an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy if her life is at
risk. Under the terms of that ruling, a pregnant woman's life is
deemed to be endangered if she threatens suicide.

The new legislation would affirm that a pregnant woman is entitled
to all necessary medical treatment for a life-threatening physical
condition, even if the treatment would result in the death of an
unborn child. However, the new law would specifically rule out
psychological factors as justification for legal abortion.