Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to follow up on the question about the number of institutions that can care for babies born on the cusp of viability. In my own family there were twins born at 23.5 or 24 weeks. At 22 weeks, when it looked like that was going to happen, one of the hospitals listed in this Schedule could not handle that. This was five years ago. The mother had to be moved to the Rotunda. This is a critical point because the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, has made a very strong claim here that once a baby is viable, or on the cusp of viability, despite the fact that the mother is seeking a termination, the State will do everything to ensure that the baby is delivered alive. Can the 26 hospitals listed here manage that crisis? Can they save the life of the baby after it is born?