The Independent reports on a new and controversial
case in Ireland in which a woman was refused an abortion under Ireland’s new
abortion laws and that her baby was subsequently prematurely delivered at 25
weeks by Caesarean section.
According to some reports the woman was a foreign
national, an asylum seeker, who was already pregnant when she arrived in Ireland
in April. The termination took place in the second trimester of the pregnancy
resulting in the baby being born at 25 weeks.
The woman who is reported to have sought an abortion
under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, 2013 claimed to be suicidal
and was assessed by a panel of experts as set out in the legislation.
The panel of experts apparently differed on the
question of abortion as the child had already reached viability, resulting in a
decision to deliver the baby by caesarean section.
It has also been reported that the Bishop of Elphin, Kevin
Doran, whilst agreeing that it is better that the child is still alive has raised
pertinent questions about the consequences of the early delivery of the baby
He told the Irish Independent: "The removal of a
child from the womb in that kind of context is really unethical and there is no
other way of putting it. It was far better that the child was removed from the
womb to be saved than to be aborted, but it is not natural."
The Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Sam Coulter Smith
said the baby will face enormous’ health challenges and has just a 20-30pc
chance of growing up without any health issues.
“I think
the challenges are enormous. A baby born at 24 or 25 weeks is going to spend a
long period of time in neonatal intensive care”, he told Sean O’Rourke on Radio
One this morning.
He also commented on the likely cost to the health
service which he said would probably be in the order of €60-90k,
The baby according to Smith will probably stay for 15
or 16 weeks in intensive care. “Most of these babies will survive, 80-90pc of
them will survive. - but only 20 -30 pc will have intact survival.” He added
that many of the babies will grow up with significant health problems.
