One of Ireland's top bioethicists has resigned from the board of directors and the board of governors of the Catholic Mater Hospital in Dublin over the terms of Ireland's new abortion act.
Fr Kevin Doran told The Tablet that he resigned last weekend in what was "a personal decision based on my own judgement of conscience that I could not give my unqualified adherence to the act".
The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act allows for abortion where there is a risk to the life of the mother, including a risk of suicide. That provision was strongly opposed by the pro-life movement.
Fr Doran's decision follows the hospital's announcement last week that it would comply with the terms of the act.
In a statement, the Mater declared that its priority is to be at the frontier of compassion, concern and clinical care for all its patients, saying: "Having regard to that duty the hospital will comply with the law as provided for in the act."
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, who is the hospital's president, said had no powers concerning the institution's governance, and added that he would be seeking further clarifications on the exact meaning of the hospital's statement.
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