Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Can the Medical Council identify any deficiencies it has recognised in the current guidelines which need to be addressed? Under the guidelines the Medical Council recognises the distinction between abortion, to which Professor Murphy has referred, and a termination of pregnancy arising from the course of therapeutic intervention in which every effort is made to preserve the life of the baby. How does the Medical Council define this distinction?

The Medical Council stated that diagnosis should be evidence-based. The expert group report recognises the difficulties in predicting suicide in particular. What is the evidence base for suicide as a grounds for termination in the view of the council? Does the Medical Council believe that there are two patients in a pregnancy? Does it believe that the two-patient approach which we have had traditionally has served us well and has had a good record? Do we have a duty of care to both the mother and the child?