Dr. Peter McKenna:

Very briefly on the question of terminations, it is not just a belief or an ethical base, as from our point of view it has resource and very practical implications. In the United Kingdom approximately 700,000 babies are born a year, while there are approximately 180,000 terminations. For Ireland, we could possibly divide each of these figures by ten to get a guesstimate. In the United Kingdom 60% to 70% of the 180,000 terminations are carried out medically, not surgically; consequently hospital admission is not required. By any estimate, 40% of terminations will possibly require a surgical intervention which will have considerable resource implications for gynaecological services. In our interest to deal with the ethical element I am concerned to ensure the practical implications will not be overlooked.