Officially at least, the Mater hospital has decided to comply with the new abortion law. This means we now have two Catholic hospitals in Ireland  – the other one being St Vincent’s – that have raised no ethical objection to carrying out abortions on certain grounds.

In his Irish Independent column this week, David Quinn analyses the Mater’s decision and says it should have taken on the State and defended its ethos. In doing so, it would have been championing the rights of other religious institutions as well, including schools.

To read the column in full, click here.