Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses for attending and giving us of their time. Professor Binchy said that the 1983 amendment of the Constitution gave equal right to life to the unborn and the mother.

That was the theory at the time, but it was not what happened in actual practice. We could quote instances, but I do not want to go into them at the moment. The problem arose when a decision had to be made on how to determine "the equal right to life". It was found that it was not possible to do this in practice. The medical practitioners were very quick to admit that it was not possible. Then a number of amendments or attempted amendments took place. I refer, for example, to the right to travel. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 was introduced to protect the right to life of the mother. Does Professor Binchy accept there are conditions from which a pregnant woman may suffer that affect her health, in the first instance, and can lead to a threat to her life? Does he accept that if such conditions are not arrested in time, they can become serious?