THE SINN FÉIN party has handed down a six-month suspension to renegade TD Peadar Toibín.

The Meath West TD decided to vote against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, which Sinn Féin was supporting.

As a result, Sinn Féin party whip in the Dáil, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, announced just after 1am today that Toibín would be out in the parliamentary cold for the next six months.

Ó Snodaigh said in a statement:

Sinn Féin has supported the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill and all Sinn Féin TDs were mandated to vote for this legislation.

The decision this evening by Peadar Toibín TD to vote against the Sinn Féin position is a serious breach of party rules.

As a consequence Peadar Toibín has been suspended from Sinn Féin for six months with immediate effect.

Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton also lost her party whip when she was kicked out of the Fine Gael parliamentary party for voting against the Government’s Bill. She handed in her resignation as a Minister of State shortly afterwards – she told TV3′s Vincent Browne that Taoiseach Enda Kenny had asked for her resignation and “I responded”.

These are the 31 TDs who voted against the abortion bill>
Abortion bill passes final Dáil vote>
Lucinda Creighton: I believe I made the correct decision>

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