Over the coming days the Seanad will see a range of expert witnesses addressing the Bill in front of the Committee on Health and Children, chaired by Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer.
You can watch it happen live here. The schedule of speakers is included below.
Background
The proposed Bill will legalise the termination of pregnancies in three circumstances:
1. When there is a risk of loss of life from physical illness
2. When there is a risk of loss of life from physical illness in an emergency situation
3. When there is a a risk of loss of life from self-destruction
The draft legislation also lays out guidelines and definitions for medical opinions and formal medical reviews & reports.
The Bill also contains ‘Conscientious Objection’ clauses. It does not ‘oblige’ an individual medical professional to carry out a termination, but specifies “no institution, organisation or third party shall refuse to provide a lawful termination of pregnancy to a woman on grounds of conscientious objection.” The Bill specifies that “in the event of a doctor or other health professional having a difficulty in undertaking a required medical procedure, he or she will have a duty to ensure that another colleague takes over the care of the patient as per current medical ethics”.
The full text of the proposed Bill is available here.
Objections
Both pro-life and pro-choice groups have objected to the Bill. Pro-life group Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has said “unlike British law, the Bill makes suicide an explicit, statute-level ground for abortion... There must be absolute and unequivocal opposition to all abortion expressed loud and clear by church leaders, pro-life groups and politicians”. Other groups have expressed concerns that the Bill is the first-step towards ‘abortion on demand’.
On the other side of the argument, many people in favour of women’s right to choose have objected that the Bill does not go far enough, particularly objecting to the fact that potentially suicidal patients seeking an abortion will have to have their case examined by three different medical professionals. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast earlier this month, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett called the proposed Bill “a shoddy compromise that does not vindicate the case of X.” However, a more general abortion Bill would require a constitutional referendum.
Despite objections from some parties, the draft legislation has come about after years of expert hearings. It is expected to pass through the Dáil even though individual members of Fine Gael have expressed their objection to the party's support of the Bill.
Today’s hearing will see witnesses from a range of medical organisations, including the Irish Medical Council and Royal College of Physicians, give their reactions to the proposed legislative changes. Monday's hearings will predominantly focus on speakers working in the field of psychiatry, while Tuesday’s witnesses will discuss the legal and ethical implications of the Bill.
Schedule of Hearings
Friday 17th May – Seanad Eireann (Policy, Medical & Obstetrics)
Session 1: 9:30 - 11:00 Policy - Overview of Heads of Bill
Minister for Health, James Reilly TD
Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, Secretary General, Department of Health
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer
Session 2: 11:15 - 1:45 Regulatory & Representative Bodies
Institute of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists:
Prof Robert F. Harrison, Chair
Dr Cathy Allen
Dr Meabh Ni Bhuinneain
Prof Fionnuala McAuliffe
Irish College of General Practitioners:
Dr Seamus Cryan, President, ICGP Executive
Mr Kieran Ryan, CEO
Dr Darach O'Ciardha, Chair of Communications
Dr Margaret O’Riordan, Medical Director
Irish Medical Council:
Prof Kieran Murphy, President
Ms Caroline Spillane, CEO
Irish Medical Organisation:
Dr Matthew Sadlier, President
Ms Vanessa Hetherington, Policy Executive
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland:
Prof John Crowe, President
Prof Frank Murray, Registrar
Prof Desmond Carney, Fellow
Prof Declan Sugrue, Fellow
Session 3: 2:30 - 5:00 Obstetric Care Facilities – Larger Hospitals
Dr Peter Boylan, National Maternity Hospital
Dr Sam Coulter Smyth, Master, Rotunda Hospital
Dr Rhona Mahony, Master, National Maternity Hospital
Session 4: 5:15 – 7:45 Obstetric Care Facilities – Other Hospitals
Dr Gerard Burke, Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick
Dr Mary McCaffrey, Kerry General Hospital, Tralee
Dr Máire Milner, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
Dr John Monaghan, Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe
Monday 20th May – Seanad Eireann (Psychiatry & Other medical Groups)
Session 1: 9:30 - 12:00 Psychiatry & Perinatal Psychiatrists
College of Psychiatrists of Ireland:
Dr Anne Jeffers, Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Maeve Doyle, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Perinatal Psychiatrists
Dr Joanne Fenton, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
Dr Anthony McCarthy, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
Dr. John Sheehan, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
Session 2: 12:15 – 2:45 Psychiatry
Dr Yolande Ferguson, Consultant Psychiatrist, Tallaght Hospital
Dr Peadar O'Grady, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Prof Veronica O'Keane, Consultant Psychiatrist, Tallaght Hospital & TCD
Dr Eamonn Moloney, Consultant Psychiatrist, Cork University Hospital
Session 3: 3:30 – 6:00 Psychiatry
Prof Kevin Malone, Consultant Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s University Hospital & UCD
Dr Bernie McCabe, Consultant Psychiatrist, Navan Hospital
Dr Jacqueline Montwill, Consultant Psychiatrist, Mayo Mental Health Service
Dr Sean O’Domhnaill, Consultant Psychiatrist
Session 4: 6:15 – 8:45 Other Medical Specialties
Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation: Ms Claire Mahon, President
Mental Health Commission: Mr John Saunders, Chair
Dr Kevin Walsh, Consultant Cardiologist, Crumlin & Mater Misericordiae Hospital
Dr Janice Walshe, Consultant Medical Oncologist, St. Vincent’s University Hospital
Tuesday 21st May – Seanad Eireann (Legal Hearings)
Session 1: 9:30 - 12:00 Medical Law
Mr Paul Brady, BL
Dr Simon Mills, BL
Mr Tony O’Connor, SC
Ms Caroline Simons, Solicitor
Session 2: 12:15 – 2:45 Constitutional Law
Prof William Binchy, BL, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Maria Cahill, University College Cork
Mr Frank Callanan, SC
Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, retired judge of the Supreme Court
Session 3: 3:30 – 6:00 Medical Ethics
Dr Ciaran Craven, BL
Dr Ruth Fletcher, Keele University
Ms Sunniva McDonagh, SC
Session 4: 6:15 – 8:45 Members Time / Closing Statements
Minister of State, Mr Alex White TD
