The Government has approved the drafting of the bill dealing with abortion law in Ireland.

Under the draft legislation, three medical professionals will need to assess the risk of a woman taking her own life before an abortion will be allowed.

The general scheme of the bill will now be brought before an Oireachtas Committee who will in turn report to the Minister for Health James Reilly.

A statement from the Taoiseach's Office says the provisions are "strictly within the parameters of the Constitution and of the Supreme Court Judgement in the X case."

It goes on to say it will "provide legal clarity for the medical profession of the circumstances where a medical termination is permissible where there is a real and substantial risk to the life, as distinct from the health, of a woman as a result of a pregnancy."