Updated

The prime minister of Ireland says he will campaign for a liberalization of the country's strict abortion laws in an upcoming referendum on the issue.

Leo Varadkar said Saturday he hopes the referendum will be held this summer. The date of the referendum and its wording have not been worked out yet.

Varadkar told BBC radio on Saturday that he will call for an easing of the extremely strict laws against abortion in Ireland, which bans the procedure even in cases of rape and cases where the fetus is suffering potentially fatal abnormalities.

The prime minister says his views have "evolved" since he described himself as "pro-life" in 2014.

He says the government should be finalizing details in the coming week.