Ireland: Mahony warns of abortion legal risk

1 Dr Rhona Mahony, master of Holles Street Hospital.

by David Kearns

Published 06/09/2016, The Independent

The Master of the National Maternity Hospital has criticised the Eighth Amendment for forcing doctors to make medical decisions regarding abortion in a "criminal context".

Dr Rhona Mahony wants medical decisions on terminations in a "clinical context" to be free of legal considerations.

"For me, the Eighth Amendment causes difficulties in making sound medical decisions… [because] it asks doctors to make really complex medical decisions [involving terminations] in the context of criminal offences," she toldRTE's 'Claire Byrne Live'.

"This is where the Eighth Amendment really gives us difficulty - we've seen its ability to distort medical decisions."

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Source: The Independent