In a draft report, cited by The Irish Times, the Oireachtas Committee on Health is recommending that the Government move “without delay” [1] to introduce all the legislative changes recommended by the Abortion Review.
In her review, barrister, Marie O’Shea, recommended the decriminalisation of abortion, the removal of the mandatory three-day waiting period, and the expansion of eugenic abortion when the pre-born child is suffering a serious life-limiting condition.
In response to the Committee’s report, the Pro-Life Campaign expressed dismay [2]: “Considering the deeply flawed nature of the three-year review report, the government must be very cautious in how it responds to this”.
“A cavalier rush to overhaul Ireland’s existing abortion laws would be a huge mistake. The government should shelve this report and consider launching a new and thorough process to seriously examine the impact of Ireland’s abortion laws, like addressing how we reduce the spiralling abortion rate which we’ve seen since 2019 and implementing safeguards to prevent future instances like the horrific case of Baby Christopher, a healthy baby who was aborted following a misdiagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality in Holles Street hospital,” said a spokesperson.