European Ruling on Irish Abortion Law Scheduled For September

Woman claims her rights were violated as she had to leave Ireland for an abortion

Ireland awaits a September report on its abortion laws by a European Court ofHuman Rights panel of experts at a time of rising political tensions over the issue and a backdrop of steep declines in the popularity of religion.

In Ireland, 84 percent ticked the Catholic box in Census 2011, while other data indicates that the ability for the church to enforce its doctrines is dropping significantly. How that will affect the nation's no-exceptions abortion laws remains uncertain.

The European panel is currently reporting on Irish abortion laws after a 2010 judgment by the European Court of Human Rights that said the rights of a woman with cancer had been violated because she had to travel outside Ireland for an abortion.