STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The draft bill clarifies what happens when there's a threat to the pregnant woman's life
- A panel of medical practitioners must agree that there's a "real and substantial risk" to life
- Two psychiatrists must be on the panel if the threat is one of suicide
- The proposed legislation may prove contentious in a majority Roman Catholic nation
(CNN) -- Ireland's government published proposed new abortion legislation late Tuesday to clarify what happens when there's a threat to the mother's life, including a risk of suicide.
The government wants the legislation, the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013, to become law before the summer recess at the end of July.
The proposal may prove contentious in a majority Roman Catholic country.
It follows calls for change from some quarters after the death last October in Galway of an Indian-born dentist who was denied an abortion while miscarrying.
Ireland amends abortion law 
Death leads to abortion rally in Ireland The coroner at an inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar this month recommended that authorities lay out exactly when doctors can intervene to save the life of a mother.
The government says its proposed bill sets out a "clear legal framework" for women and medical practitioners in Ireland.
"It will provide legal clarity for the medical profession of the circumstances where a medical termination is permissible where there is a real and substantial risk to the life, as distinct from the health, of a woman as a result of a pregnancy," a press statement said.
Under the draft law, when the threat is not from suicide, two doctors must jointly certify that there is a "real and substantial risk" of the loss of the pregnant woman's life, and that they believe abortion is the only way to avert that risk.
One of the doctors must be an obstetrician or gynecologist, and at least one of the two should consult with the woman's own doctor where possible.
When the risk to the pregnant woman's life is from suicide, the assessment must be made by an obstetrician or gynecologist and two psychiatrists.
The legislation also makes clear that it is not an offense for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy in the case of a medical emergency if there is an immediate threat to the pregnant woman's life.
The procedure must be carried out by a registered medical practitioner at an appropriate location, the draft text states.
READ MORE: Woman's death in Ireland abortion case ruled 'medical misadventure'
READ MORE: Husband testifies his wife died after abortion was denied in Ireland
Journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher's Tyrants - The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards.
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEBqoRDuA5m6H1GuBROnTBh_BKF6Q&url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/world/europe/ireland-abortion/
0 comments:
Post a Comment