Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the two delegates. Professor Malone told the Irish Examinerthat in the majority of cases in the Rotunda Hospital where babies had been diagnosed with anencephaly or trisomy 18, parents travelled to Britain for an abortion. That is in sharp contrast to the findings of research from Cork University Maternity Hospital where more than 90% of parents who had received a diagnosis of trisomy 18 continued with the pregnancy. Cork University Maternity Hospital also found that most parents continued with the pregnancy after a diagnosis of anencephaly. What is the Rotunda Hospital doing wrong? Do parents feel unsupported in the hospital?

Are the delegates aware of findings in a study by Duke University in 2015, published in the peer reviewed journal Prenatal Diagnosis,that women who underwent an abortion after a diagnosis of anencephaly were significantly more likely to suffer from depression and even despair than those who continued with the pregnancy? If Professor Malone is aware of this, did it influence his clinical practice?

On his statement that he leaves his views at the door, medicine has always been about values. Does he believe preborn babies with a disability have less of a right to life?

I also have some questions for Dr. Mahony.