Ireland parliament votes to allow limited abortion

Ireland's parliament voted on Friday to allow abortion under certain conditions for the first time, after months of polarising debate in the staunchly Catholic country including letters to the premier written in blood.

Premier Enda Kenny has provoked a strong backlash by pushing for access to abortion when a woman's life is in danger, both sides of the debate have protested and his government has faced down more rebels than it did over austerity.

The lower house passed the bill after hours of debate including an all-night sitting. The upper house, which has limited powers and is dominated by Kenny's centre-right Fine Gael, is expected to rubber-stamp the decision, after which it will become law.