Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses from the Department of Health and the HSE here today.

Today, the witnesses have talked a lot about the health of mothers and babies. I agree with them that doctors in this country do a tremendous job. However, I believe we can improve the services that are offered. I cannot see how abortion will improve the situation. It certainly does not improve the health of the baby. The only one thing that abortion does, from a medical perspective, is end the life of a baby in the womb. Yesterday, we heard that the abortion procedure involves giving the baby in the womb an injection to paralyse him or her and then another injection to end his or her life. If the eighth amendment is repealed this is what we would expect doctors to do. Do the witnesses agree that widening the grounds for abortion would mean training doctors to end the lives of babies, which would do real damage to the medical profession?