Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

For the avoidance of any doubt, where an advance healthcare directive is silent, the existing law and clinical practice apply. In this case, if the advance healthcare directive is silent about a consequence of treatment during pregnancy, the existing clinical practice applies and so the pregnant woman is treated equally to any other pregnant woman in that situation. There is no rebuttable presumption created against that. Where it is silent on the consequence of the woman being pregnant while getting treatment, the usual clinical procedures that doctors, nurses and clinical staff can undertake apply.