A bill to ensure unborn babies about to undergo late-term abortions receive pain relief is due to be debated this coming week. It comes as Leo Varadkar suggested to the Dail on Thursday that the possibility of extending abortion to cover non-fatal foetal abnormalities could be considered in the future, along with bans on pro-life vigils outside medical centres, and a reduction in the three-day waiting time before receiving an abortion.

The Foetal Pain Relief Bill 2021, introduced by Carol Nolan TD and co-sponsored by ten other deputies, is progressing next Wednesday to Second Stage in the Dáil, where it will be debated and voted on during Private Members time.

Scientific evidence clearly shows that unborn babies feel pain, with the most recent research suggesting it occurs much earlier than 20 weeks. Under Ireland’s current abortion law, there is no requirement on those performing abortions to give precautionary pain relief to an unborn baby, despite the fact that the law permits late-term abortions in certain circumstances.

The news was welcomed by the Pro-Life Campaign who said the Bill is a modest measure that simply seeks to ensure that no baby is forced to endure unnecessary pain as his or her life is being ended. “It’s important to recall that the Dáil passed legislation in 2013 obligating vets to administer pain relief to animals before any procedure takes place that may cause an animal suffering or distress. It is an affront to human decency that babies about to be aborted are treated less humanely than animals,” he said.