A spokesman for the Catholic bishops has rejected claims by the Taoiseach that there is a requirement to legislate to clarify the legal position on abortion.
Enda Kenny said it was his "duty and responsibility as head of Government to legislate in respect of what the people's wishes are".
His Fine Gael colleague, Wicklow-East Carlow TD Simon Harris, told RTÉ yesterday the Coalition did not have the option of not legislating for the X case, unlike previous governments.
Lawful killing
However, the Catholic bishops made clear in a statement at the weekend their opposition to abortion legislation. "The heads of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013 published by the Government on Wednesday would, if approved, make the direct and intentional killing of unborn children lawful in Ireland, " they said.
“The Bill, as outlined, represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law and is unnecessary to ensure that women receive the life-saving treatment they need during pregnancy.”
The bishops' spokesman told The Irish Times last night: "The Government is not obliged to legislate for the X case. The Irish Government was never directed to legislate for abortion.
"It does have to bring clarity to the situation and the bishops' view . . . is that Medical Council guidelines need to be enhanced and/or consider a new referendum. The Government is not obliged by any internal or external authority to legislate."
Conscientious objection
The Catholic bishops also said they were concerned that hospitals could be forced to provide abortion and that there was no room for conscientious objection at an institutional level.
The bishops said in an statement: “The Bill also appears to impose a duty on Catholic hospitals to provide abortions. This would be totally unacceptable and has serious implications for the existing legal and Constitutional arrangements that respect the legitimate autonomy and religious ethos of faith-based institutions. It would also pose serious difficulties for the conscientious beliefs of many citizens.”
They also denounced the argument that abortion should be legislated for in the case of suicide ideation.