Irish Medical Profession

A primary reason why abortions are not carried out is the courage displayed by the Irish medical profession in resisting the introduction of the death culture. The Irish Medical Council, the governing body for the profession, has always held abortion as unethical. Moreover the abhorrence of the Irish people for abortion has shown the Government that legislation for abortion would be vigorously and widely opposed. In the absence of such legislation pro-abortionists have no battering ram to use against the Medical Council guidelines.

Irish Medical Council

Medical Council's Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour and to Fitness to Practise: 1994

It has always been the tradition of the medical profession to preserve life and health. Situations arise in medical practice where the life and/or health of the mother or of the unborn, or both, are endangered. In these situations it is imperative ethically that doctors shall endeavour to preserve life and health… While the necessity for abortion to preserve the life and health of the sick mother remains to be proved, it is unethical always to withhold treatment beneficial to a pregnant woman, by reason of her pregnancy.

A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour (1998): Reproductive Medicine

Following calls for submissions and extended internal review, the 5th Edition of the Guidelines was published in 1998. Almost 500 submissions were received many in relation to issues of reproductive medicine. A single submission requested by the council to consider facilitating termination of pregnancy.

A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour (1998): Reproductive Medicine

The Ethics Committee and the Medical Council carefully considered both the existing legal uncertainty and the real needs of women dealing with crisis pregnancies. The Council Guideline offers doctors a clear statement of professional responsibilities. Section 26.5 states :

The deliberate and intentional destruction of the unborn child is professional misconduct. Should a child in utero suffer or lose its life as a side effect of standard medical treatment of the mother, then this is not unethical. Refusal by the doctor to treat the woman with a serious illness because she is pregnant would be grounds for a complaint and could be considered to be professional misconduct.

Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ireland

29 February 2000

The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is the professional body representing the speciality of obstetrics and gynaecology in Ireland. The Executive Council of the Institute has examined the Green Paper on Abortion and the members have been consulted. We welcome the Green Paper, which provides a comprehensive, uptodate and objective analysis of the issues arising in the care of the pregnant woman. Our expertise is in the medical area and our comments are confined to these aspects.

In the current obstetrical practice rare complications can arise where therapeutic intervention is required at a stage in pregnancy where there will be little or no prospect for the survival of the baby, due to extreme immaturity. In these exceptional situations failure to intervene may result in the death of both mother and baby. We consider that there is a fundamental difference between abortion carried out with the intention of taking the life of the baby, for example, for social reasons, and the unavoidable death of the baby resulting from the essential treatment to protect the life of the mother

We recognise our responsibility to provide aftercare for women who decide to leave the state for termination of pregnancy. We recommend that full support and follow up services be made available for all women whose pregnancies have been terminated, whatever the circumstances

Professor John Bonnar, MD,

FRCPI, FRCOGChairman,

Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists

Statement by Irish Consultant Obstetricians

April 1992, Dublin Ireland

"As Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, we affirm that there is no medical circumstances justifying direct abortion, that is circumstances in which the life of a mother may only be saved by directly terminating the life of her unborn child".

John Bonner, MA, MD, FRCOG Prof. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Trinity College, Dublin

Eamon O'Dwyer, MAO, FRCPI, FRCOG, Prof. Of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCG

David Jenkins, MD, FRCOG, Prof. Of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCC

Kieran O'Driscoll, MD, MAO, FRCPI, FRCOG, Emeritus Prof. Of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCD

Julia Vaughan, MB, MAO, FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist

Statements by Irish Obstetrcians

Prof John Bonnar

During the All Party Oireachtas Committee Oral Hearings on Tuesday, 2nd May 2000, Professor John Bonnar stated the below regarding the intention of any form of medical treatment which resulted in the death of a baby.

"We have never regarded these interventions as abortion. It would never cross an obstetrician's mind that intervening in a case of pre-eclampsia, cancer of the cervix or ectopic pregnancy is abortion. They are not abortion as far as the professional is concerned, these are medical treatments that are essential to save the life of the mother."

 

Dr. P.J. Conway

During the All Party Oireachtas Committee Oral Hearings on Thursday, 4th May 2000, Doctor P.J. Conway said:

 "...only two maternal deaths have been recorded among 223,000 births in three Dublin maternity hospitals between 1980 and 1989. The figure has improved since then. This makes Ireland the safest place in the world for a mother to have her baby."

   

Prof Eamon O'Dwyer

During the All Party Oireachtas Committee Oral Hearings on Thursday, 4th May 2000, Dr. Eamon O'Dwyer, OB Pofessor at Galway University Hospital, and an obstetrician for 40 years, states that he has looked after more than 9,000 women, and none have died.

"I never had reason to think that I could have done better if I had abortion available"