Category: Abortion

Varadkar invokes St John Henry Newman in conscience debate

Taoiseach was responding to Labour leader’s call for end to clerics ‘instructing’ politicians

The Irish Times

Marie O’Halloran

Catholic politicians should look to the comments of newly canonised Saint John Henry Newman when considering issues of conscience, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar made his remarks after Labour leader Brendan Howlin highlighted comments by Catholic primate Archbishop Eamon Martin last month at the Kennedy Summer School.

Archbishop Martin said Catholic politicians in particular had a responsibility to support laws that “uphold the dignity of every person from conception to death”. He also cautioned against politicians leading “parallel lives compartmentalised in to spiritual and secular spheres”.

Mr Howlin suggested that this idea of Catholic politicians “has the potential to be deeply problematic” as Irish society becomes more pluralist and multicultural. . .[Full text]

Women forced to travel as only 10 out of 19 maternity units provide full abortion service

Irish Independent

Eilish O’Regan

Just half of the country’s 19 maternity units are providing a full abortion service, it emerged yesterday.

It means that some women are more likely to have to travel for the service, despite the new abortion law coming into effect in January.

The HSE said that “work is ongoing with hospital groups to roll out the service in additional maternity hospitals”.

However, a spokeswoman said it has not received any formal complaints about women travelling a long distance or failure to get a referral. . . [Full text]

Woman with severe learning disabilities to have abortion, judge rules

Doctors allowed to perform termination on woman with mental age of toddler

The Guardian

PA Media

A judge has given doctors the go-ahead to perform an abortion on a woman with severe learning disabilities who is 12 weeks pregnant.

Mr Justice Williams heard that a GP had recently discovered that the woman, who is in her 20s but has the mental age of a toddler, was pregnant.

He was told that a police investigation was under way.

The judge said the woman may have been raped or been made pregnant by a man who also had learning disabilities and a lack of understanding. Police would carry out DNA tests in a bid to establish the identity of the father, he was told. . .[Full text]

Abortion reforms: DoJ emails reveal concerns on ‘obvious difficulties’

Newsletter

Phil Bradfield 

Internal Department of Justice documents show senior officials believe the new regime of decriminalising abortion in Northern Ireland will present “obvious difficulties” for health professionals and the Department of Health.

The news comes after pro-life groups raised concerns that the new legal situation in Northern Ireland will provide little protection for health care professionals who wish to exercise conscientious objection to taking part in abortions. Other difficulties such groups envisage are regarding abortion pills and the readiness of the health service to provide abortions in NI. . . [Full text]

Health service professionals who object to taking part in abortions must be protected

If the new legislation is introduced here, a conscientious objection clause is required, argues Alban Maginness

Belfast Telegraph

Alban Maginness

The easiest thing to do when things become contentious in your working life is to keep your head down and your mouth shut. But remarkably last week, 815 doctors, nurses and midwives didn’t do that, but sent a strongly worded letter of protest to Secretary of State Julian Smith expressing opposition to any change in the abortion legislation here. They are so incensed by the undemocratic imposition by Westminster of an extreme abortion regime on the health service in Northern Ireland that they had to speak out publicly. . . [Full text]