Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also ask the Minister to address the issue of viability. It is a matter I raised a good deal during the campaign and since the referendum. I am also seeking clarity here because it is a very important point. Page 9 of the Bill states that viability "means the point in a pregnancy at which, in the reasonable opinion of a medical practitioner, the foetus is capable of survival outside the uterus without extraordinary life-sustaining measures." Can the Minister clarify what "extraordinary life-sustaining measures" means? I believe viability is the point at which a child can survive outside the womb with or without medical assistance. In some cases it can be at 22 weeks and in others it can be at 23 or 24 weeks. It can vary according to the baby and the mother. It can also vary depending on which hospital one is attending. Obviously, a wide range of facilities is available in the Rotunda Hospital and the Coombe, whereas all that equipment will not be available to a baby born in a community hospital in a more rural area unless the baby is transferred to another hospital. Will the Minister again clarify for me that a viable baby, a baby who will survive outside the womb, will not be aborted?

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