The structure of the board of the new National Maternity Hospital means it could have a conservative majority on it.
That's according to former Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Peter Boylan.
He was speaking as Cabinet earlier officially signed off on the new facility.
Ministers approved the governance deal, with the hospital set to be relocated from Holles Street to the campus of St Vincent's University Hospital.
Dr Boylan told The Hard Shoulder while he agrees that the hospital is needed, the board structure could be an issue.
"The board structure of the NMH is: three NMH, three Vincent's and three ministerial nominees.
"They set the terms and conditions of the work of the hospital through the Master, they set his terms of employment.
"You get a conservative minister... we could get a very anti-choice minister.
"A minister [who is] anti-choice will appoint three anti-choice nominees on to the board of the NMH.
"The Vincent's nominees are committed - and they've said this publicly, repeatedly - to uphold the Catholic values and visions of Mother Mary Aikenhead, the founder.
"And then you've got the three Holles Street people - so imediedlety you've got a six-three majority".
'Magical golden share'
Dr Boylan says Ireland could see similar scenes as in the US.
"Then minister's supposed to sort out any rows with this magical golden share.
"But if the minister is the guy, or the woman, who is appointing these very conservative people, we've seen what can happen in pushback.
"We've seen it in the United States with Roe versus Wade, where you get a majority of very conservative people causing real problems for women's reproductive rights into the future.
"That's a practical example, because that board sets the terms and conditions of the Master's employment".
And Dr Boylan says the plan also 'shreds' Sláintecare.
"It's a combination of the ownership and governance structure.
"The ownership proposed, which is going to happen now [by] the looks of things, goes completely against Government policy.
"It shreds Sláintecare, for example, and it also goes against the report on voluntary organisations that Catherine Day chaired."
