Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not inventing these situations; doctors have put them to me. We are going into a whole new area here.

Doctors may deliver babies earlier than they should because of what we say is a real and substantial risk to the life of a mother. The baby is not looking to be born at that point. We may create a situation where there is injury. There is at least a danger that an obstetrician who chooses to terminate a pregnancy by a premature delivery of the unborn child rather than by a procedure which ends the life of that child will not enjoy the protection of the Bill. That is what is being said to me. If that is so, we could end up with an invidious situation where it might be safer for the doctor if the child died. God forbid that this would be the case. If the child survives and suffers injury as a result of premature delivery, the lawfulness of the procedure cannot be determined by reference to the Bill. That is the issue I want the Minister to address.

This is a time when litigation on matters of medical negligence and the cost of insuring against it is a growing cause of concern for doctors, particularly those in the field of obstetrics. It is important to ensure the Bill does not make this situation any worse. We say we are interested in providing clarity to doctors. If we are truly interested in providing them with clarity, we should ensure that any doubt on this point is removed. I ask the Minister to take what I have just said on board and address the point.