Clare Daly’s proposed bill to allow women to abort their pregnancy when there is evidence of foetal abnormalities has been voted down in the Dáil this evening.
The bill was rejected by 104 votes to 20.
One Labour TD, Anne Ferris, rebelled against the government and voted in favor of the Bill, which means she will be expelled from the Labour Party and likely become an independent TD.
There had been reports that a second Labour member, Waterford TD Ciara Conway, was poised to vote in favor also, but this did not come to pass.
Three Fianna Fáil TDs, Billy Kelleher, Niall Collins and Robert Troy, all supported the bill while the rest of the party opposed.
Sinn Féin abstained from voting.
Had it been passed, the bill would have enabled two suitably qualified medical professionals (an obstetrician and a perinatologist) to certify in good faith that the foetus is suffering from a fatal foetal abnormality.