Abortion draft needs to change

Doctors for Choice welcomes steps to deal with the X Case.

The Irish Government has provided the first draft of legislation that will give those women who have a life threatening illness, and their doctors clarity on whether a termination can be legally performed. However, Doctors for Choice has concerns regarding the practical implications and limitations of this bill.

While Doctors for Choice welcomes any improvement in the care of women who choose to have an abortion it remains unclear whether this Bill would provide an ‘effective and accessible’ procedure for someone in the position of Savita Halappanavar or the X Case. Women in situations of rape, child sexual abuse and fatal foetal anomalies will have to wait for further legislation to allow for the option of abortion in those cases. Women who are unable to travel risk being denied an abortion or being harassed into travelling to England, despite being unfit to do so.