Experts divided on the clarity of law on abortion

Two of the country’s most senior experts in maternity care expressed divergent views yesterday on whether Irish law is clear about the circumstances in which a pregnant woman is entitled to an abortion.

While both agree legislation on the matter would be preferable, one consultant asserts that there is no confusion among doctors about the legal position while another describes the situation as “like a sword of Damocles hanging over us”.

Dr Sam Coulter-Smith, master of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, said he had not seen confusion among doctors on whether a woman is entitled to an abortion on clinical grounds.