The debate has been re-ignited since Indian origin dentist Savita Halappanavar's death after being denied a termination of an unviable foetus at an Irish hospital in October 2012.
As a parliamentary committee began a second day of hearings in Dublin on the issue today, the Irish PM called for "understanding" after Pope Benedict XVI expressed his "dismay" at the proposed introduction of abortion legislation "in various countries, even those of Christian tradition" at an annual Vatican address on Tuesday.
"What the government is about here is setting in place a framework and a process so that legal certainty will apply to medical personnel who have to make decisions where the life of a mother is threatened, and also to introduce regulations that restrict a move towards abortion on demand, particularly in the case where suicide is involved," Kenny said.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary hearing was told that no time limits should be placed on the availability of the termination of a pregnancy where the woman's life was at risk.
"As a matter of practice, once the pregnancy progresses beyond the stage of viability, every effort should be made to safely deliver the child, unless to do so would place the woman