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 8th 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.”
