Irish parliament's lower house passes historic bill to legalise abortion
Politicians are racing to have law in place by January
Adam Withnall
Dec 5, 2018
The lower house of Ireland's parliament has passed historic legislation to make abortion legal for the first time, after members voted overwhelmingly in favour at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday.
The bill put before the lower house, the Dáil, would legalise free access to abortion up to 12 weeks. After that, it would permit abortion only in cases where the woman was at risk of serious harm or death, or where a doctor has given a diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.