Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept that is also a difference. The issue of consent is addressed in section 23 which clearly sets out that the provisions of the Bill will operate within existing legal provisions. It has been repeatedly stated by some Members that consent does not exist on the Statute Book, but that is factually incorrect. The Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 deals with the issue of consent. I ask Members to refrain from stating that the issue of consent is not addressed in statute. It is dealt with in primary legislation passed by the Oireachtas. Some Deputies may have been Members of the Oireachtas which passed that legislation in 1997.

The proposers of the amendments are asking us to accept that abortion is so substantially different from all other healthcare situations that there must be extra legal obligations on doctors. My position is that the termination of pregnancy should be integrated in a modern healthcare system for women and that the same obligations should apply to doctors as would in any other healthcare situation. As I stated, informed consent is dealt with in the Medical Council Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners, the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, and the HSE national consent policy. Although I do not question the bona fides of its proposers, the amendment is unnecessary and it has no place in this legislation.

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