Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony performed well as usual when she was on TV last night, specifically Claire Byrne Live on RTE 1. She is for repeal of the 8th Amendment. Given her job, many members of the public are likely to have been swayed by her. But really we need to know more about the type of abortion regime she wants here.
On the show last night, she limited herself to talking about the law in Ireland being changed so that terminally ill unborn children can be aborted, and expressing concern about the effect on doctors of having the pro-life amendment hanging over their heads when making medical decisions. (Assuming Rhona doesn’t favour abortion in all circumstances, there will of necessity be a law of some sort hanging over their heads).
In terms of her opinions, what would we need to know, for example, is what she thinks about the moral status of the embryo/foetus/unborn baby overall. Rhona would be in no doubt that she herself enjoy the right to life irrespective of the opinion or choices of anyone else. That is because the right to life is hers, it belongs to her simply by virtue of the fact of her being human.
So if Rhona Mahony enjoys an inalienable and imprescriptible right to life, why not an unborn child? What does Rhona Mahony herself believe on this score?
We need to know whether or not she believes that at a certain point an unborn baby should enjoy an inviolable right to life? When is that point, and why? Given her seniority and position of influence, we ought to know.
There was a young woman in the audience last night who spoke about why she went to England for an abortion. She did not pretend it was for health reasons or because the baby was disabled. It was simply that she did not want a baby.
Does Rhona Mahony believe that woman should have been able to have her abortion here? Does she believe that there are any grounds for refusing someone’s wish to have an abortion?
Does she believe that women who have been told their babies have Down Syndrome (or some other non-life threatening abnormality) should be able to have their abortions here in Ireland?
What does she think about the British law? Does it go too far? Not far enough? Is it about right?
She, and the other maternity doctors need to be asked these questions, and often, because the public has a right to know the answers. Journalists, above all, need to start asking these questions.
