It was a breath of fresh air to hear some good news in a
period, which has consistently delivered bad news.
It was reported during the second week in April that three pro-abortion
motions were rejected in a vote by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO)
conference a move that pro-lifers hope will impact the government’s intentions
to legalise abortion in Ireland.
The three motions tabled by the pro-abortion ‘Doctors for
Choice’ group were rejected by 42 votes to 32.
Dr. Seán Ó Domhnaill of the Life Institute, a consultant
psychiatrist who attended the conference said, “It’s a serious blow to the
government’s proposals. As doctors, we are trained to save lives, and most
Irish doctors want to continue with the practice of protecting both mother and
baby in pregnancy.”
He added that any proposal to allow abortion in a “limited”
way, as the government has said it intends to do, is an automatic opening to
escalate to abortion on demand, and “that’s not a model that any doctor should
wish to follow.”
The coalition government in December announced its decision to
legalise abortion along the lines of the controversial decision in the infamous
X case which permitted abortion on grounds of suicide, contrary to the
constitutional amendment that protects all human life from conception. The
government’s own consultation process last January was told repeatedly by
Psychiatrists that there is no justification for allowing abortion in the case
of suicide. The Dáíl committee heard from many medical professionals that in
fact the opposite is true, that women are at a higher statistical risk for
serious mental illness, including depression and substance abuse, following
abortion.
