White: New abortion regime will still be 'very restrictive'
Ireland’s abortion regime will continue to be restrictive despite allowing for terminations when a woman is suicidal, Junior Health Minister Alex White has said.
White gave the assurance as psychiatric consultants, led by University College Dublin Professor Patricia Casey, warned there is no medical evidence to prove that an abortion can successfully treat a suicidal patient.
The contentious legislation is to be examined by the Cabinet next week.
Amid the continuing dispute over the need for six doctors to assess a woman’s request for a termination on suicide grounds, Mr White said progress was being made on the reforms.
“The legislation that will be brought in will be quite restrictive in the context of the X Case judgment,” he said.
“It’s important to remember that the legislation will still mean we have a very restrictive regime in Ireland in relation to the termination of pregnancy.
“We want to put safeguards into that legislation, but don’t want to put in any kind of excessive or inordinate obstacles to the exercise by a woman of what is a constitutional right.”
The coalition parties held talks on the heads of the Bill as the group of concerned psychiatrists revealed up to four out of 10 of their colleagues agree that legislating for the X Case will mean legislating for suicidality.
Dr Bernie McCabe, of Navan Mental Health Services, called on the Government to consider concerns that the proposed changes in law will not help expectant women in the case of threatened suicide.
“In the treatment of suicidal patients there is no role for abortion,” she said.
“There is plenty of treatment available for suicidal patients.”
Dr McCabe, Prof Casey and colleagues Martin Mahon and Richelle Kirrane spoke out at the gates of Leinster House before they addressed cross-party TDs and Senators about their concerns.
At the same time Health Minister James Reilly and Government colleagues, Fine Gael Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald, and Labour’s Mr White and junior minister Kathleen Lynch, were debating differences of opinion on the Bill which states six consultants would be involved in the decision to terminate a pregnancy.
It is understood the legislation states that one obstetrician and two psychiatrists would jointly certify there is a real and substantial risk of loss of the pregnant woman’s life from self-destruction which can only be averted by a termination.
Another obstetrician and two psychiatrists would have to review the opinion and certify they are of the same opinion.
However, the consultants would not comment on whether they believed other psychiatrists would refuse to sit on a panel to assess a suicidal woman for an abortion, or on concerns that suicide could be used as an excuse by women wanting a termination.
Dr McCabe said when someone is suicidal there is always a risk to life and stressed a pregnant woman, like any suicidal person, would be assessed, admitted if needed, and given psychotherapy or pharmacology depending on their need.
“We are not dealing with the abortion issue per se, just in the treatment of suicidal patients,” she said.
“There is no evidence at all for abortion in the treatment of a suicidal patient.”
The group sent letters to 302 of the approximately 350 consultant psychiatrists nationwide asking if they were deeply concerned at the Government’s plan to legislate along the lines of the X Case, and if they believed any legislation that includes a proposal that an abortion should form part of the treatment for suicidal ideation has no basis in the medical evidence available.
Only 42% responded. Dr McCabe said out of 127 replies 113 agreed.
“As members of the medical profession, we have a duty to our patients to adopt best practice and an evidence-based approach to everything we do,” she added.
“The fact is that there is no evidence that abortion is a treatment for suicidality in pregnancy and may in fact be harmful to women.
“The Government must take this into account and reconsider its proposals.”
Meanwhile, Prof Casey refused to be drawn on Dr Reilly’s handling of the latest controversy after he stated on Monday that women in a distressed state with suicidal ideation would not be subjected to an interview with six different medical consultants, but did not go on to explain the draft Bill.
“I can’t comment on what Minister Reilly is doing, he has to sort this out for himself,” she added.
The Government has committed to reforming the ban on abortion by July following the death of Savita Halappanavar in a Galway hospital last year after being denied a termination during miscarriage.
A European court ruling also found that a woman in remission from cancer should not have been forced to travel overseas for an abortion.
