Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I did not suggest it was defined. It is not defined, but I can see philosophically a case for the Deputies' proposal. I can understand where they are coming from in this regard. The necessary implication of the definition they propose, "a foetus which has reached that stage of development at which, if born, it would be capable of life outside the womb" seems to me, unless somebody can correct me or tell me I am wrong in my assumption, to render lawful any abortion below 22 or 23 weeks. If that were the statutory definition of the unborn that we would now put into legislation, we know that any foetus whose gestational development is below 22, 23 or 24 weeks would not be capable of life outside the womb, which would render lawful any abortion before 22, 23 or 24 weeks. Can anybody seriously say, irrespective of what we believe ourselves, that that was the intention of the people in 1983?

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