Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----would be interested enough to pursue the question of whether it ever occurs that babies survive abortion procedures and what happens to them in various jurisdictions. The Minister has a phalanx of advisers, a chief medical officer and the negligence of the situation, to put it kindly, that he would not be familiar with what happens to the point that he could in any way discuss whether what I am saying is a fairy tale or not is absolutely staggering and reflects very badly on him and the Government.

We are talking about human beings. It is simply disingenuous of the Minister to say he is not going to get into regulating what medical personnel must do because it is for professional regulatory mechanisms to deal with best medical practice. He is changing the definition of best medical practice. Up to now, best medical practice was about protecting two patients, mother and unborn baby, and always protecting a mother even if treatment for her occasioned the death of her unborn baby while every effort was being made to preserve the life of the unborn baby. That was best medical practice.