Ireland legalises abortion to protect mothers
Date December 19, 2012 - 9:16AM
Outrage ... protesters in Dublin calling for abortion rights last month carry pictures of Savita Halappanavar. Photo: AP
DUBLIN: Ireland is to legalise abortions when the mother's life is at risk, including when she is suicidal, following the death of a woman who was refused the procedure while undergoing a miscarriage.
Ireland's cabinet took the decision on Tuesday after a public outcry over the death of Savita Halappanavar, 31. She died after her repeated requests for an abortion were refused by doctors who reportedly told her: "This is a Catholic country."
"The government is committed to ensuring that the safety of pregnant women in Ireland is maintained and strengthened. "
Dr James Reilly, health minister
The government has decided to repeal the legislation that criminalises abortion and to introduce regulations setting out when doctors can perform the procedure. This will be when a woman's life is regarded as being at risk, including the threat of suicide.
Savita Halappanavar ... died after she was refused an abortion.
The Irish health minister, Dr James Reilly, said the government was aware of the controversy surrounding the issue, but the safety of pregnant women had to be "strengthened".
"I know that most people have personal views on this matter. However, the government is committed to ensuring that the safety of pregnant women in Ireland is maintained and strengthened. We must fulfil our duty of care towards them," he said.
Ireland's abortion laws are the strictest in Europe and the proposed legislation to decriminalise abortion will stoke furious debate in Ireland, which remains a staunchly Catholic country. Ronan Mullen, an independent Irish senator, accused the government of "doublethink" for condemning the deaths of children in the Sandy Hook shooting while "appearing to show no concern for unborn children".
"I find it entirely appropriate that we would join in solidarity with the people, with the children who died in Connecticut," he said. "And let's not slip into a doublethink either, however, where we forget a whole category of children in our own country."
The Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, said draft legislation would be published in the new year with a view to having the legislation ready by Easter.
To ensure the law is passed, the government whip would be applied to MPs in the ruling Fine Gael party, which is deeply divided over the proposals. "There will be no free vote on this," Mr Kenny said.
Under current Irish law, abortion is a criminal act unless it occurs as the result of a medical intervention performed to save the life of the mother. However, until now the government has not enacted legislation to give certainty to doctors as to when terminations can be carried out and under what circumstances.
The new moves are intended to bring legal clarity to the issue.
The legislation will be drafted to comply with a landmark ruling in the European Court of Human Rights two years ago and a 1992 Irish Supreme Court decision in the "X case".
This ruling overturned an injunction preventing a 14-year-old girl, who had been raped and was suicidal because she could not get a legal abortion, from travelling to Britain to have a her pregnancy terminated.
