SINN FÉIN WILL bring legislation to the Dáil next week to remove the mandatory three-day waiting period before having an abortion.
It will be the latest attempt by an opposition party to scrap that feature of the law governing abortion, after a similar bill put forward by the Social Democrats was defeated in a Dáil vote in May.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has announced that the party will take its own proposed legislation to the Dáil on Tuesday, adding that she believes it will be passed.
“The three-day wait should never have been introduced and has had serious consequences,” she said.
“It is time for the law to change and this would be a significant move towards compassion and ensuring barriers to women accessing healthcare are removed.”
McDonald said that any woman who decides to have an abortion will have given it “deep thought” and that removing the mandatory wait “does not mean that a woman cannot take more time if she wishes.”
“That option is always there. But forcing a woman to adhere to a three-day mandatory wait is not acceptable and has had a very negative impact,” she said.
Sinn Féin’s bill is more limited in scope that the one produced by the Social Democrats, which was defeated 85 votes to 30, with 36 TDs abstaining.
The Social Democrats’ bill also included an amendment to the law around fatal foetal abnormalities, something Sinn Féin expressed concerns about at the time of the vote in mid-May.