A Catholic church leader claims Irish abortion laws may depend on who wins the next general election.

The Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran, says the public should remember each party's stance on repealing the 8th amendment when they go to the polls.

So far, Fine Gael and Labour have agreed that they would consider holding a Constitutional Convention on the issue if re-elected.

However Fianna Fáil has stressed it would not support moves to remove the 8th amendment.

Bishop Kevin Doran says voters need to be aware of what politicians believe in.

"We're heading towards an election, and whether there is a referendum or not will possibly depend, to some extent, on who's elected" he told the Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk.

"Certainly many of those who wish to remove the 8th amendment from the Constitution have made no secret of the fact that their ultimate political objective is abortion on demand".

"That's very clear from some of the political parties engaged in this debate, and I think people need to take note of that" he added.