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Minister for Health welcomes the passage of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas

Minister for Health Simon Harris has welcomed the passage of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Bill will now be presented to the President for signature.

Speaking as the Bill completed its passage in the Seanad, Minister Harris said: "This is a genuinely historic moment. It paves the way for the implementation of the service for termination of pregnancy in January 2019”.

The legislation permits terminations to be carried out up to 12 weeks of pregnancy; or where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman; or where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman in an emergency; or where there is a condition present which is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth.

The Minister said "I would like to acknowledge my colleagues in the Oireachtas for their co-operation, their thoughtful contributions and for the long hours everyone has put in to see it through.

"I want to thank the campaigners who fought for 35 years to change a nation, to change hearts and minds. I want to thank the minority who fought the battle in here when it was convenient for the majority to ignore.

"But today, I think mostly of the thousands of women who were forced to make the journey to access care that should have been available in their own country."