PR: Rejection of abortion motions

Rejection of abortion motions at Irish Medical Organisation conference blow for government proposals

5th August 2013

Doctors and Pro life groups have warmly welcomed the rejection of all three motions to legalise abortion at the Irish Medical Organisation Conference today.

The Life Institute spokesperson who attended the conference, said the result clearly showed that the majority of Irish medical profession opposed abortion.

He said that the government needed to also be cognisant of the result, since it showed, yet again, that the medical profession was not supportive of government proposals to legalise abortion on suicide grounds.

"It's a serious blow to the government's proposals," he said. "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."

"We are also very aware that abortion on demand quickly follows any breach in the legal protection of unborn children, and that's not a model that any doctor should wish to follow," he added.

The three motions were put before the conference by members of the small grouping Doctors for Choice. Delegates remarked that they felt the motions were ideologically and not medically motivated.

He said that the debates on all three motions were robust and that there were sometimes sharp exchanges between delegates.

"We heard from delegates who knew women who had died by suicide following abortion. We heard from doctors who had seen what legalised abortion meant in practise in other jurisdictions."

"We heard about families who had been supported in spending precious time with children who were diagnosed with fatal abnormalities. And we heard from doctors whose experience told them that we never need to deliberately end a baby's life in order to save a mother," he said.

"Then we voted, and I'm very glad to say that the majority of delegates voted NO to all three motions," said added.

The rejected motions called for abortion to be legalised in line with the X Case, in the case of sexual assault, and for babies who had serious abnormalities.

"Perinatal hospices, better supports for mothers, assisting those who suffer after abortion, providing better life-affirming alternatives; these should be the priority, not abortion legislation".

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