Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is saying the reason that it is not required is that we now have primary legislation that determines how healthcare services will treat babies older than 12 weeks and, therefore, it is implied by other legislation that a baby that has been in gestation for longer than 12 weeks will be protected regardless of whether it is silent in the AHD or of specific requests by the mother in the AHD. If that is true, then what is the harm in putting it into this legislation that the AHD does not stand if the woman has been pregnant for longer than 12 weeks? It is only reconfirming what is in the current legislation, if that is what the Minister is saying. I do not see what the harm is in then putting it into this legislation.