The Irish Cabinet has reached an agreement on the terms of a controversial bill that permits abortions on the grounds of mental health.
Illegal
Currently, abortions in Ireland are illegal unless they are performed to save the life of the mother.
The bill proposes to allow terminations to “eliminate the risk of self-destruction” where the mother is threatening to commit suicide.
According to Irish media, at least three doctors must agree that the conditions for an abortion have been met for the termination to go ahead.
The details of the bill are expected to be published at a later date.
Savita
The move comes following the death of Savita Halappanavar, a 31 year-old woman who died in Galway hospital after suffering from blood poisoning thought to have been caused by a miscarriage.
The reporting of the case caused public outcry, with the pro-abortion lobby using the incident to demand that Ireland’s abortion laws be reviewed.
Shortly after, the Cabinet announced the Government’s intention to change Ireland’s abortion laws to permit abortions where there is a risk of suicide to the mother.
Criticism
But health experts in maternal care, including leading obstetricians and psychiatrists, have rejected claims that abortion is a “solution” for suicidal inclinations.
The head of St. Patrick's University Hospital, Ireland's leading psychiatric hospital, said that there is “no evidence either in literature or from the work of St. Patrick's University Hospital that indicates that termination of pregnancy is an effective treatment for any mental health disorder or difficulty.”
Last month, Professor David Fergusson of the University of Otago in New Zealand published a research paper also concluding that there was no evidence that abortion reduces mental health consequences for women.
The proposed legislation has also been opposed by the Irish Medical Association, which voted against liberalising the law on abortion last month.
Evidence
Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
“A growing body of evidence shows that abortion doesn’t reduce rates of mental health problems for women and may in fact increase the risk of mental health problems.
“Irish legislators should take account of this research rather than pro-abortion rhetoric. Ireland’s laws already permit terminations to be carried out where the mother’s life is at risk.
“Furthermore, Ireland should learn from the UK’s experience where we have seen that once abortion is permitted on mental health grounds, such guidelines are easily abused to create a situation where abortion is effectively available on demand. Because of this, 98% of the 200,000 or so abortions carried out in Britain each year are technically illegal. It would be tragic if Ireland followed along this same path”.
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