Ireland has approved a bill to allow a referendum on changing the country's restrictive abortion law. The referendum bill was agreed by the Irish cabinet on Thursday, 8 March – International Women’s Day. It will be debated in Parliament before full details are released on 9 March. If the referendum approves a change in the law, the government will introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion in the first 12 weeks. Currently, terminations are only allowed when the life of the mother is at risk, and the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison.