Ireland – Varadkar guarantees abortions will take place in new maternity hospital

Tánaiste says hospital will carry out clinical procedures contrary to Catholic ethos

June 20, 2021
Jack Horgan-Jones

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has guaranteed that abortions, IVF and other procedures contrary to Catholic ethos will be carried out in the new National Maternity Hospital.

Asked if the hospital will be carrying out all clinical procedures as provided by law, rather than what a religion is happy with, he said: “Yes, absolutely”, as is currently the case in the National Maternity Hospital’s current site in Holles Street.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/varadkar-guarantees-abortions-will-take-place-in-new-maternity-hospital-1.4598493

20.06.2021

National Maternity Hospital

Unplanned, a US pro-life film ‘which distorts abortion’, set for Irish screens

Unplanned, a US pro-life film ‘which distorts abortion’, set for Irish screens
Unplanned, based on a disputed memoir by former clinician Abby Johnson, is rated 16 for general release

Pavel Barter
September 29 2019

An American pro-life film which has been accused of inaccurately portraying abortion procedures is being released in Irish cinemas this week. Unplanned is an adaptation of a memoir by Abby Johnson, a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood in Texas, who became a pro-life activist after seeing a distressing abortion.

The $6m (€5.5m) film has grossed almost $20m in the US and Canada since April. According to Paul Ward, co-owner of Irish Multiplex Cinemas, Unplanned will be shown from Friday at its four Dublin theatres, including the Savoy, and in Omagh, Co Tyrone. “We have been asked by our patrons to screen it,” he said.

Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/unplanned-a-us-pro-life-film-which-distorts-abortion-set-for-irish-screens-fcxl53jc0

Ireland – Abortion guidelines for doctors will not be ready for rollout date

Abortion guidelines for doctors will not be ready for rollout date
Peter Boylan says ‘inevitably, there will be problems’ and nobody should expect ‘perfection’ from service

Tue, Dec 4, 2018
Paul Cullen

Revised ethical guidelines for doctors on abortion and conscientious objection will not be ready in time for the planned rollout of termination services next month, it has emerged.

The Medical Council believes it is better to get the guidelines right rather than to rush them in time for the Government’s deadline for the introduction of abortion on January 1st, its president, Dr Rita Doyle, told a closed meeting of GPs.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/abortion-guidelines-for-doctors-will-not-be-ready-for-rollout-date-1.3718966

Ireland – Harris insists abortion services will be ready despite doctors’ concerns

Harris insists abortion services will be ready despite doctors’ concerns

Catherine Sanz, Ireland Reporter
November 27 2018

Simon Harris has rejected claims by doctors that abortion services will not be ready by early next year.

The health minister said that some GPs had taken issue with the January deadline for the introduction of medical abortion through pills provided by a GP. He said that many other doctors had “said things exactly to the contrary”.

Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/harris-insists-abortion-services-will-be-ready-despite-doctors-concerns-dffhgn2np

Ireland – Abortion: Wait rather than risk a tragedy

Abortion: Wait rather than risk a tragedy

Saturday, November 17, 2018

The Government hopes to pass abortion legislation before Christmas and Taoiseach Leo Varadakar has said he is confident the Government’s timeline to have pregnancy termination services available in January 2019 can be met.

Those are both big asks as the process of setting up the service has already met a number of hurdles. In the first instance, there remains a cohort of TDs and senators opposed to introducing abortion services here and they will do anything they can to stop or delay it.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/ourview/abortion-wait-rather-than-risk-a-tragedy-885875.html

Ireland – Committee asked to work on abortion bill over break

Committee asked to work on abortion bill over break

Monday, October 22, 2018
By Elaine Loughlin, Political Correspondent

Simon Harris has asked that the Oireachtas health committee sit during the Halloween break to progress abortion legislation as quickly as possible.

The health minister has committed to having abortion services in place from the start of January, but the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill will have to be passed first.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/committee-asked-to-work-on-abortion-bill-over-break-877267.html

How the Yes and No sides won and lost the abortion referendum

How the Yes and No sides won and lost the abortion referendum

Harry McGee: Smiling Savita portraits proclaiming a new reality for Ireland
May 26, 2018

Harry McGee Political Correspondent

In the last few days of the referendum campaign on the Eight Amendment dozens of small posters appeared around Dublin.

The image was of Savita Halappanavar, instantly recognisable from her thick dark hair, wide smile, smiling eyes, and the Bindi dot on the forehead. The message contained one word: Yes. They were striking in their simplicity and directness.

The Savita case (read Kitty Holland’s report from 2012 here) was never too far away from people’s minds during the eight weeks that this extraordinary referendum campaign seeped into Irish public consciousness on doorsteps, in the streets, in the media, or on the airwaves… right up to polling day.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/how-the-yes-and-no-sides-won-and-lost-the-abortion-referendum-1.3509924

26.05.2018

Abortion Rights Campaign

Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment

National Women’s Council

Niamh Uí Bhriain

No campaign

Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act

Ireland – Abortion: Over 1,000 doctors call for Yes vote in referendum

Abortion: Over 1,000 doctors call for Yes vote in referendum
‘This is not a vote of Yes or No . . . it’s whether we want to make healthcare safe and regulated’

May 12, 2018
Sorcha Pollak

More than one thousand doctors from across Ireland have called for a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment, saying repeal will make healthcare “safe and regulated” for Irish women.

The coalition of doctors gathered in Dublin on Saturday to sign a public declaration of their support of a repeal of the Eighth Amendment which will be held on May 25th.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/abortion-over-1-000-doctors-call-for-yes-vote-in-referendum-1.3493355

‘Eighth’ campaign trail not as straightforward as a Yes/No answer

‘Eighth’ campaign trail not as straightforward as a Yes/No answer
On the ground, a good way of gauging strength of one side is to follow the opposition

May 3, 2018
Harry McGee

In suburban Castleknock the cherry blossoms are out, there is the smell of freshly-cut grass and people-carriers are parked in many driveways.

Middle-class areas of Dublin West are expected to be a bulwark for the Yes campaign in the referendum. This is the constituency of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. It is also one of the youngest constituencies in the country.

It is mixed, split between middle-class and working-class areas, with a high percentage of residents who were born outside Ireland. There are No voters here too but, overall, it would be a surprise if it did not go strongly Yes.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/eighth-campaign-trail-not-as-straightforward-as-a-yes-no-answer-1.3482961

Geraldine Kennedy: Why I am a reluctant Yes to repeal Eighth Amendment

Geraldine Kennedy: Why I am a reluctant Yes to repeal Eighth Amendment
It’s a long way from what I voted against in 1983 to the right to abortion at 12 weeks ‘without any indication’

April 27, 2018
Geraldine Kennedy

There have been almost 30 referendums since the Constitution was adopted in 1937. I have covered the vast majority of them in my journalistic career. There have been more abortion questions put to the people in referendums than any other single issue in the history of the State. So, I have become something of a specialist on abortion. The referendum on May 25th is the sixth time around for me.

The first time was on September 7th, 1983, when the Eighth Amendment was put into the Constitution. It is hard to believe that it was held almost 35 years ago. This means every voter under the age of 53 years or so, depending on their political awareness, has no personal memory of that campaign.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/geraldine-kennedy-why-i-am-a-reluctant-yes-to-repeal-eighth-amendment-1.3476601