The Tánaiste and Labour party leader says society needs to ask itself if it's right that people have to go through a lawyer to get medical treatment.

Joan Burton's comments come following the case of a clinically dead pregnant woman being kept on life support.

She's re-iterated Labour party support for repeal of the 8th amendment which gives equal rights to a woman and the unborn.

Speaking to journalists in an end of year interview the Tánaiste says over a period of time cases will emerge throwing up the most agonising and difficult dilemmas:

Joan Burton says the people offering right-on solutions on either extreme of the debate are offering a disservice.

She says all of us need to think seriously and reflect on how to address this.

She says the 8th amendment does not serve women well when issues of their safety, their life and health are in question.

Acknowledging the difficulties Fine Gael and An Taoiseach faced in dealing with the x case in legislation in this government, Joan Burton says with developments in modern medicine cases are going to arise that no constitution can set down an answer for - adding the constitution should be for other purposes rather than assessing medical treatments.