Government praised for progress on abortion legislation
The Irish Government has been praised by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for its progress on enacting abortion legislation.
The committee was reviewing progress made since a European Court of Human Rights ruling which found the State to be in breach of its obligations for not legislating for abortion.
In today's ruling, they have welcomed the publication of the heads of the bill on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy saying this is an important step.
In a submission to the Ministers, the Government restated its commitment to having the legislation enacted before the Dáil rises for summer recess.
However, the Irish Family Planning Association criticised the Bill, claiming it does not go far enough.
Andrew Cutting is a spokesperson for the Council of Europe - he said that the issue has been prioritised and the Committee is keeping the pressure on.
"They gave a gentle reminder that the government should stick to this timetable to have the legislation enacted by the end of July," he said.
