Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are about to have a vote on one of the most important questions we could ever be asked, as to whether this legislation, as put forward by the Minister for Health, would change everyday medical practice. It is no overstatement to say that the Minister has proposed nothing short of a radical change in the model of medical practice and care provided by maternity services in Ireland. We have been contacted by numerous doctors, as has been said, in everyday practice who are shocked that the draft legislation has been proposed without so much as the slightest consultation with front-line care providers whose patients are pregnant women and their unborn babies.

No guidance has been given on the professional liability for the practitioners that may arise in providing abortions under the legislation. No experts have been consulted on the pathetic conscientious objection clauses that are contained in this Bill which in practice would not protect anything .

Despite what the Minister said during the referendum campaign that the law would protect the right to conscience, the so-called conscientious objection clause in the legislation gives no real protections in law for those who do not wish to provide abortions. It is as simple as that. Doctors were shocked to discover that even in circumstances where they object to performing an abortion or prescribing abortion medication, they must make such arrangements to ensure that women requesting a termination are able to do so, which I am quoting from the legislation. The meaning of this is obvious. Where a doctor objects to an abortion, he or she must still ensure that one is obtained. The Government's proposed abortion law goes far beyond the law even in Britain where there is no requirement to make arrangements for abortion access. The health services are full of doctors who want to care for women and their unborn children equally. Doctors across the country are not willing or able to become abortion clinics for a Government that has no clear plans or budget to radically change our caring patient-centred medical practice.

The Minister cannot even handle the record-breaking delays in accident and emergency departments. This abortion will turn into a similarly badly thought-out mess in court cases, as we have in illness litigation. We are aware the costs of that and the damages involved, with plenty of cases of cervical cancer and God knows what else.

The Minister has rejected protections for disabled babies from abortion and protections for babies born alive. He has rejected provisions for ultrasound and the respectful burial of bodies after surgical abortions.