Taoiseach: Health Minister was speaking in personal capacity on abortion issue
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that the Health Minister was speaking in a personal capacity in the Dáil last night when he said Ireland's abortion laws were too restrictive.
Minister Leo Varadkar says the current laws are having a "chilling effect" on doctors who have to make decisions based on law and not medicine.
He ruled out a referendum in the remaining lifetime of the coalition, saying the Government didn't have the mandate to hold one.
This evening Enda Kenny, said that Minister Varadkar's comments are not an agreed position of Government.
“He was speaking as a Minister for Health here but he was speaking in a personal capacity as well now,
“I mean, he pointed out that the Government would be voting against the proposition in the Dáil,” he said.
“Government did face up to that and did legislate was in as compressive and as sensitive a way as we could.”
