The Referendum Commission is to send an information booklet to every household in the country in advance of the abortion referendum. The Commission stated last week that it would be unable to do so, because of time constraints.
However, it now says that these difficulties have been overcome following consultations with An Post. Delivery of the 20-page information booklet should start at the end of next week. The abortion referendum is to be held on 6 March.
The booklet provides independent information about the Government's proposal, as well as answering common questions about the Referendum. Anyone who does not get a copy in the post can order one through call-centres being set up by the Commission, or on their website.
The Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue, said on RTÉ's Questions and Answers last night that the Commission would now be delivering 1.3 million explanatory leaflets.
The Labour Party said today that the independence of the Referendum Commission may have been compromised by the Government. According to Eamon Gilmore, it was totally inappropriate that such an announcement should be made by Minister O'Donoghue, rather than the Commission itself.
Fine Gael referendum campaign director, Nora Owen, has said that there were still serious questions about the Government's role in what she called the "stop-start" information campaign. Deputy Owen said that no satisfactory explanation had been given as to how and why the Referendum Commission had suddenly found sufficient time to prepare and circulate its explanatory booklet on the referendum.
A group of solicitors and barristers called Lawyers Against the Amendment has meanwhile launched a campaign for a No vote in the abortion referendum. The group says the way the referendum is being put is gravely flawed, undemocratic, and unprecedented. Their spokesperson, Siobhan Ní Cualachain, said today that most people did not know what they would be voting for.
The Mother and Child Campaign, which incorporates Youth Defence, has also launched its campaign for a No Vote in the Referendum. This afternoon Justin Barrett on behalf of the group issued a public challenge to Professor William Binchy of the Pro-Life Campaign to debate the issues on television with him.
The Mother and Child Group has accused the Pro-Life movement of cutting a deal with the Government and the Abortion Referendum. Later Professor William Binchy told RTÉ that he was prepared to debate publicly on the issue with Youth Defence, Dana Rosemary Scallon, and others. However, he called on the Fine Gael Leader Michael Noonan to take up his offer of a debate on the Referendum.
