Ireland to hold referendum on abortion ban months before papal visit

Ireland will holding a referendum on its constitutional ban on abortion May or June next year, just months before Pope Francis' planned visit to the country for an international event celebrating marriage and life.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced on Tuesday that the government has agreed to an "indicative timeline" for the vote on whether to abolish the Eighth Amendment to the constitution, which stipulates that a mother and the unborn baby have an equal right to life.

"The ... proposal is to have a standalone referendum in May or June next year and will very much follow on from the recommendations of the all-party committee which is considering the matter," Varadkar told the parliament, according to Reuters.

Under current law, a woman convicted of having an illegal abortion in Ireland can face up to 14 years in prison, but Irish women are allowed to travel abroad to seek terminations. Abortions are only permitted in the country in cases when the mother's life is in danger.

Statistics compiled by the U.K.'s Department of Health between 1980 and 2015 indicated that at least 165,438 Irish women have accessed U.K.'s abortion services.

Last year, the UN human rights committee criticized Ireland's abortion law, calling it "cruel, inhuman, and degrading."

The human rights arms of the United Nations and Council of Europe have called on the government to decriminalize abortion and amend the law to allow the procedure in cases of fatal fetal abnormality, rape or incest.

Varadkar had previously stated that the Eighth Amendment, which was introduced after a referendum in 1983, is "too restrictive."

A panel of citizens called together to advise the government on the issue had reportedly voted overwhelmingly to change the Eighth Amendment, and opinion polls have shown that a large majority of voters want some change.

"Any amendment to our constitution requires careful consideration by the people. They should be given ample time to consider the issues and to take part in well-informed public debate," Varadkar said in a statement outlining the minority Fine Gael-Independent coalition government's position on the referendum.

According to Premier, a parliamentary committee will issue its findings on a report conducted by an assembly of Irish citizens on the issue before the wording of the referendum question will be determined.

The referendum on abortion is one of the several votes that the government plan to call within the next two years, including a vote to abolish the Ireland's ban on blasphemy.

Pope Francis is expected to visit Ireland in August to stage the 2018 World Meeting of Families, which is held once every three years.