The end of a 21-year wait?

The government has downplayed the significance of its bill to legislate for the X case, but will anything change in reality, asks Gavin Barrett

Gavin Barrett: 'Concerned about the possibility of a Fine Gael backbench revolt, the government has downplayed the bill's significance.'

The general scheme of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill was published last Wednesday.

Its genesis, however, can be traced back to 1992 and the Supreme Court decision in the case of Attorney General v. X, which was an appeal against a High Court injunction preventing a 14-year-old pregnant girl from travelling to Britain to obtain an abortion.

At issue in X was Article 40.3.3 - the pro-life amendment inserted in the ...