General election candidates should not have to make their views on repealing the Eighth Amendment known, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has said.

Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Mr Coveney said people could not determine if they were in favour or against removing the clause from the Constitution until they knew what its replacement would be.

The Fine Gael TD said without that the debate was half-informed.

Asked whether candidates should make their position known, Mr Coveney replied: “No I don’t. These are very personal and difficult choices people have to make, and what the Taoiseach has done is given a commitment that if we are in government after the next election we will look at this issue with the sensitivity it deserves.

Sensitivity

“To break it down into a simple blunt question of are you in favour or not of repealing the Eighth doesn’t give this discussion the kind of sensitivity it needs.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny came under pressure in the Dáil last week to instruct his candidates to publicly declare whether they were in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment.

Fine Gael has proposed establishing a citizen’s assembly to examine the issue within six months of the formation of a new government.

Whatever it proposes, party members will be allowed a free vote on the required change of legislation.

Sinn Féin and Labour will campaign in favour of repealing the amendment, which places the life of the unborn and the mother on an equal footing.

Fianna Fáil TD Michael McGrath said voters could ask any TD or candidate their views on any subject during the campaign.

Democracy

He said: “That is the nature of democracy and politics. As regards myself I would be strongly pro-life. I haven’t seen any suggestion which I would accept to replace the Eighth Amendment.

“That is my position but everyone has to state their own position.”

His party has agreed a vote of conscience on the issue.