Tomorrow the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill is being debated before the Oireachtas. 180 amendments have been proposed.
This list summarises and highlights the key pro-choice amendments that have been put forward. For detailed analysis of anti-choice amendments see here.
| General |
- Amend stigmatising definition of abortion
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- Add a long title to the Bill confirming that its role is to facilitate timely and safe access to abortion
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- Allow healthcare practitioners other than doctors to be involved in care
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- Trans* inclusive language
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- A statement guaranteeing access to abortion, without discrimination
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- A statement ensuring that where the legislation is capable of different interpretations, doctors must adopt the interpretation most favourable to protecting the pregnant person’s rights
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- Completely decriminalise abortion, whether or not carried out within the scope of the legislation, or tackle unduly broad new criminal offences in s. 5 (ensure doctors acting in good faith are not criminalised, addressing coerced illegal abortion)
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- Allow for transfer of pregnant person’s care within a team of doctors.
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- Sanction for doctors’ refusal to refer a patient to a willing colleague on the basis of conscientious objection
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- Ensure publication of relevant public health information around the abortion service, including recording refusals of access to termination
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- Prevent harassment of service providers
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- Human-rights oriented independent review of the operation of the legislation within years of its commencement
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- Ensure access to abortion in the Republic for women ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland
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| 12 weeks |
- Replace requirement to physically examine people seeking abortion pre-12 weeks with requirement to consult with them/assess their views
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- Remove the 3 day waiting period, or mitigate delays associated with its operation
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- Allow access without the need to prove grounds, up to 12 weeks’ gestation, not 12 weeks LMP
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| Post 12 weeks |
- Definition of health, consistent with best international practice
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- Allow access to abortion post-12 weeks on grounds of risk to health, not risk of serious harm to health.
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- Change requirement that life-saving/health-preserving abortion can only be offered if it will eliminate (rather than reduce) the risk to life/health.
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- Remove arbitrary time limit in fatal foetal abnormality provision
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- Amend the definition of viability which might be used to refuse abortion access in cases where the woman’s life/health is at risk provided the foetus can be kept alive after birth with extreme interventions.
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To read more about the arguments for these amendments, you could read our recent briefing paper .
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