Irish lawmakers overwhelmingly passed new legislation early Friday that allows abortions if the mother's life is at risk.
Members of Parliament in
the devoutly Catholic country spent hours before its passage debating
the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. The vote was 127-31
in favor of the bill.
Conservative and progressive lawmakers argued over amendments to the draft law.
Religious lawmakers and
church leaders are upset over a provision allowing abortion if a
pregnant woman is acutely at risk of committing suicide. They called it a
"Trojan horse" leading to easy abortion access and wanted it removed,
but the provision was included in the final bill, according to The Irish
Times
A woman can't just
threaten to commit suicide and expect to receive an abortion, according
to the bill. Two psychiatrists and an obstetrician must certify that the
risk of suicide is "real and substantial."
Female lawmakers
introduced an amendment to permit abortions if a woman becomes pregnant
after incest or rape, but later shelved it when it ran into resistance,
the Times reported.
In its final provisions, the bill underlines existing Irish laws to protect the fetus.
"It shall be an offense
to intentionally destroy unborn human life," it reads. A woman who
violates the law could face a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
The bill has proved
divisive even within the government. European Affairs Minister Lucinda
Creighton, who was opposed to elements of the legislation, resigned
Thursday, Prime Minister Enda Kenny confirmed.
Doctors and hospital personnel involved in illegal abortions face the same punishment, according to the bill.
The issue was brought to
the forefront last year when a 31-year-old woman died after doctors
refused to perform a life-saving abortion.
Savita Halappanavar went into a hospital in Galway, Ireland, in October, complaining of severe back pain.
Doctors established
Halappanavar, who was 17 weeks pregnant, was having a miscarriage. But
they did not terminate the pregnancy, afraid the law would not allow it.
Three days after the
request for a termination was made, the fetus died and was removed. Four
days later, Savita died of a blood infection.
Public outrage over her death likely hastened the passage of the new legislation.
It was proposed after a
2010 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, but had been moving
slowly through the legislative system.
The European Court of
Human Rights found that Ireland's failure to regulate access to abortion
had led to a violation of its human rights obligations.
Twenty years ago, the
Irish Supreme Court ruled abortions are allowed when there is a real and
substantial risk to the life of the mother.
But the ruling was never
enacted into law, meaning there was little clarity for doctors or
patients as to when an abortion could not take place.
Human Rights Watch said
the new legislation failed Ireland's women by not going far enough to
reform the country's abortion laws.
It did "the bare
minimum" to comply with the European court ruling, and did not address
other issues such as the rights of women who are pregnant as a result of
rape, it said in a statement.
"The new law does add
clarity, but requiring women to seek multiple approvals from health
professionals may delay or defeat access to legal abortions," said Gauri
van Gulik, women's rights advocate for Human Rights Watch.
"Ultimately it does little to improve the draconian restrictions on abortions."
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