{"id":5050,"date":"2014-08-21T22:41:15","date_gmt":"2014-08-22T05:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=5050"},"modified":"2018-03-05T20:05:08","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T04:05:08","slug":"baby-delivered-at-25-weeks-gestation-in-ireland-to-avoid-death-by-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=5050","title":{"rendered":"Baby delivered at 25 weeks gestation in Ireland to avoid death by abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sean Murphy*<\/a><\/p>\n

News reports indicate that an immigrant\u00a0woman whom a friend says was raped in her country of origin\u00a0discovered that she was pregnant after arriving in Ireland.\u00a0 The friend says that she asked for an abortion when she was eight weeks pregnant, but it is not clear that she was then eligible for\u00a0the procedure\u00a0under the new Irish abortion law<\/a>.\u00a0 According to the reports,\u00a0she\u00a0again asked for an abortion in July,\u00a0threatening suicide, and was found to be suicidal by a panel of two psychiatrists and an\u00a0obstetrician.<\/p>\n

The Irish Constitution and the Irish abortion law hold that the lives of both woman and child are of equal value, and both must be saved if practicable.\u00a0 Since the pregnancy was so far advanced, it was decided that the baby should be delivered by Caesarean section, since that would provide the baby an opportunity to survive.\u00a0 The woman initially refused and refused to take food or fluids.\u00a0 After medical authorities obtained a court order to rehydrate her she consented to the Caesarean and the baby was delivered at about 25 weeks gestation.\u00a0 The\u00a0baby is now apparently in the custody of the state and being supported in a neonatal ward, while the mother is receiving psychiatric treatment.<\/p>\n

The case has reignited the abortion controversy in Ireland.<\/p>\n