Obstetricians and GPs have expressed doubt that Ireland’s new abortion service will be ready for 1 January as they believe the timeframe for establishing the service is too tight.
In a letter to the Irish Times, the former master of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Professor Chris Fitzpatrick hit out at the Government’s “frenzied attempt to meet a dangerously unrealistic deadline”.
“We are on the verge of introducing a new termination of pregnancy service, which, if rushed into operation on January 1st as scheduled, will pose a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of women ... compounded in addition by inadequate planning and insufficient resources,” Professor Fitzpatrick said.
Legislation for the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill which will allow abortions up to 12 weeks gestation is currently going through both houses of parliament.
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hinted that abortion may be introduced on a phased basis as he acknowledged that introducing abortion services was not “a case of just flicking a switch”.
Meanwhile, the bishops, in a statement following their Winter General Meeting in Maynooth, said they were dismayed that, for the most part, the voices of those who voted against abortion in May’s referendum have been ignored.
They highlighted how “reasonable” proposals for legislative amendments to the bill, such as the prohibition of abortion on the grounds of sex, race or disability, had been rejected.
The bishops also expressed concern over the bill’s erosion of the right of conscientious objection for all healthcare professionals and pharmacists. “They cannot be forced either to participate in abortion or to refer patients to others for abortion,” they warned.
Separately, Bishop Kevin Doran has called on doctors, nurses, teachers and pharmaceutical workers to “resist” the new abortion regime.
Bishop Kevin Doran said the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill had no moral force and ought to be resisted. “Catholics have no obligation whatsoever to obey this law,” he told the Irish Independent.
He said the bishops “absolutely support the right of doctors and nurses and midwives, not only not to perform abortions, but not to be required under the law to refer their patients”, even though this will bring them into conflict with the law.
His view was echoed by former Taoiseach, John Bruton, who warned that no person, medically qualified or otherwise, should be forced by the threat to his/her employment, or of criminal sanctions, to be involved in the ending of a human life, against his or her religious convictions.
In a speech delivered at the Irish Catholic Doctors’ Learning Network Annual Conference in Swords, Co Dublin, last weekend, Mr Bruton said a law that forces someone to take part in, or to facilitate, an action that that person believes is contrary to a deeply held religious conviction could be in conflict with Article 44.2.1 of the Irish Constitution.
“That aspect of the Bill should be changed. The concept of ‘aiding and abetting’ a crime is well understood in Irish law. The Bill requires a doctor, who has a conscientious objection to doing an abortion herself, to “make arrangements to transfer the care” of the woman to a doctor who will do it. This could certainly be construed as aiding and abetting the abortion, and there is no conscience clause here either.”
Under the terms of the legislation, medical professionals who fail to make the referral will be deemed to be committing a criminal offence.
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