Clarity sought on jailtime over use of abortion pills

The spectre of a young girl being jailed for 14 years for taking an abortion pill has been raised by Fianna Fáil in light of the manner in which the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill has been framed.

The party’s health spokesman, Billy Kelleher, said it was conceivable that a young girl who suffered medical complications after taking an abortifacient (a pill that induces abortion) could find herself under arrest if she sought medical attention.

“What we need to get clarity on is if a 15-year-old suffered complications after self-administering an abortion pill and she had to present to her doctor or at a hospital, could she find herself reported to An Garda Síochána and could it lead to imprisonment? As the legislation stands, clearly it could.”