— Reuters picDUBLIN, Sept 26 — Ireland will hold a referendum next year on whether to repeal its constitutional ban on abortion in almost all cases, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's government announced today. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has previously said the eighth amendment of the constitution, which makes abortion illegal unless there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother, was "too restrictive". Ireland became the first country to adopt gay marriage by popular vote in 2015 and campaigners seeking a repeal of the eighth amendment want that social change extended to abortion, citing the thousands of Irish women who travel abroad, mostly to England, for terminations each year. The referendum on abortion will be among seven the government plans to call within the next two years, it said on Tuesday, including a vote to remove the crime of blasphemy from the constitution.
The Republic of Ireland announces a referendum on abortion will be held between May and June 2018.