A leading member of the Medico-Legal Alliance has indicated that the country’s draft abortion law may face a legal challenge similar to the Northern Ireland Asher’s Bakery freedom of conscience case.
Senior Counsel Ben Ó Floinn said it would be regrettable if such a challenge became necessary in order to secure a wide-ranging freedom of conscience for doctors who will not provide terminations.
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill allows General Practitioners who have a conscientious objection to providing terminations to opt out of the planned abortion regime.
However, it obliges them to transfer the pregnant women concerned to the care of doctors who are willing to provide them.
Ó Floinn said: “People campaigned (in advance of May’s referendum vote) on the basis of Freedom of Choice. Now that choice should be to allow a wide-ranging freedom of conscience to those whose consciences tell them they want no part in this.”
Earlier this week, the Protestant owners of the Belfast bakery won their British Supreme Court appeal against a lower court’s judgement that they had discriminated against a gay man when they refused to bake a cake with a message supporting gay marriage.
Last week, the country’s Catholic bishops called the Republic’s abortion bill an affront to conscience. They called for healthcare professionals and pharmacists who oppose it to be allowed opt out on the grounds of their right of conscientious objection.
