Leading obstetricians are seeking to delay the introduction of abortion in January “because of risks to patient safety due to inadequate preparation” for it. However, Dr Peter Boylan, who has been charged by Health Minister, Simon Harris, with implementation of abortion ‘services’ has said it will begin next month.

Writing in today’s Irish Times, former master of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital Prof Chris Fitzpatrick, who voted for repeal of the 8^th in May, criticised the Government’s “frenzied attempt to meet a dangerously unrealistic deadline”.

He and other members of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have called for an EGM to debate a motion that abortion legislation “cannot” commence next month and “should not take place until these risks are addressed”. Obstetricians from Dublin and outside Dublin, and from large and small maternity units, had signed the motion and the signatures were collected “within a matter of hours”.

Dr Fitzpatrick said in The Irish Times: “We are on the verge of introducing a new termination of pregnancy service, which, if rushed into operation on January 1st as scheduled, will pose a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of women … compounded in addition by inadequate planning and insufficient resources,” Prof Fitzpatrick writes.

Prof Fitzpatrick stresses that he is not a conscientious objector to abortion. “I will participate in the provision of this service – but only when it is safe to do so. At present I am operating in an information vacuum.”

He says it is “frightening” that there are no agreed models of care, published clinical guidelines or clarifications on key ethical issues and clinical concerns with less than one month to go to the introduction of the service.

Unrelatedly, Minister for Health Simon Harris said claims from anti-abortion politicians that the legislation was being rushed through the Oireachtas were “offensive”.

“When I hear some opponents of the legislation suggesting that it is being rushed I actually think that’s really offensive to women in this country,” he said. “I think it’s offensive to people who’ve been working to arrive at this point for 35 years.”

In a prime example of freedom of religion, Brother Kevin Crowley of the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin lambasted the Government’s response to the housing crisis while receiving an award in Leinster House for his own work helping the homeless and destitute of the city.

Speaking in the members’ restaurant after becoming the fourth recipient of the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award, Br Kevin said “It’s absolutely appalling to think in 2018 that the Government cannot face up to the fact that we have a crisis in our country. We have a crisis in our cities for the homeless people. We have a crisis for the children. We have a crisis for their families. These people should not be walking the streets .”

He questioned the State’s strategy in addressing the crisis. “Where are we? Where are our politicians? Where is the money going to? Recently, there was a hotel got, I think, €9 million for homeless people. How many houses could we have built for that? It is a crying shame.”

The award was given by the Oireachtas Human Dignity Group, whose founding member, Senator Rónán Mullen (Ind), said Br Crowley had “earned the respect of the Irish people”.

Legislation to provide for an extensive abortion regime for the first time in Ireland was passed by the Dáil following an extended debate.

The so-called Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill was approved by 90 votes to 15 with 12 abstentions. The Bill will now go before the Seanad as the Government rushes to have it enacted in time for its planned introduction date in January.

A total of 65 amendments were tabled but only changes brought by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, were passed. Fianna Fail refused to back any pro-life amendments.

Both Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris faced questions on what was described by People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith as a “cold war” between the Department of Health and the boards of the National Maternity Hospital and the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group over the planned hospital’s ethos and ownership. The plan to relocate the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street in Dublin to the grounds of St Vincent’s hospital has been in the offing for the past 18 months but negotiations are still ongoing with the Minister for Health recently insisting that the board of directors should have an extra director to represent the public interest.

Mr Harris rejected claims by an anonymous hospital source that he was “meddling” in the issue and said the publicr should be concerned that the hospital has “robust governance” and that the State should have a seat at the table when the board was making decisions.

The Minister said the charitable status of St Vincent’s hospital also had to be sorted since “the nuns have said they are leaving” as well as public ownership.

Members of the European Parliament have expressed concern about proposed legislation in Bulgaria to control the operation of religious groups. On November 27, the MEPs said the proposed law “has the potential to significantly interfere with religious freedom in Bulgaria”.

The bill in question would significantly restrain the rights of minority faith groups, hampering theological schools, clergy training, missionary activity, free worship outside of designated buildings, and international funding of local ministries. A subsequent change to the bill raised the minimum membership requirement for registration of religious groups from 300 to 3,000 with the threat that denominations with fewer members could be shut down altogether.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has also raised its voice against the proposed law.

A referendum to reduce the waiting period for divorce is to be held next year on the same day as the local and European elections on May 24th, the Government has decided.

At present, the Constitution only permits divorce where the spouses have lived apart for four of the previous five years. Now the Government proposes to either reduce the four year requirement to two or take it out of the constitution altogether.

A Government spokesman said on Tuesday that the question of which option would be decided over the coming weeks. It is intended to begin discussions with the other political parties and independents immediately.

A judge has described a Co Clare woman’s atheist marriage as “mumbo jumbo” and “for the fairies” stating that she didn’t get married at all four years ago because it did not fulfill the legal requirements.

He was responding to a woman accused of giving a Garda a false name. The woman said she used her new husband’s surname after they married at a humanist ceremony four years ago.

However, Judge Durcan said: “The law provides procedures for entering into marriage which is something that imposes civil responsibility and imposes civil obligations. That is what marriage is and your client wasn’t married four years ago.” He added: “Let us go by legal principles here – her maiden name is Haskett, her first husband was McLeish – her only husband.”

The solicitor representing the woman said her client had instructed her that she was married in an atheist or ‘humanist’ ceremony four years ago. Judge Durcan, however, told the solicitor that the defendant “instructs you to come in here with this cock and bull story about being married, that is daft and for the fairies”.

He added: “Your client has been living in an unreal world.”

A Dutch court has rejected an attempt by a 69 year old man to reduce his age by 20 years to align with the age he feels he is rather than his birth-age. The man wanted to make the change to enhance his prospects in life and love. In an unprecedented case, the Arnhem District Court told “positivity guru” Emile Ratelband it will not adhere to his request to shift his birth date two decades later to 11 March 1969.

“Mr Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly,” the judges said.

“But amending his date of birth would cause 20 years of records to vanish from the register of births, deaths, marriages and registered partnerships,” adding that “this would have a variety of undesirable legal and societal implications”.