Ireland must vote “Yes” in this week’s abortion referendum to right a serious wrong, the chair of an inquiry into the death of a pregnant woman has said. Irish voters will cast their ballot on Friday on whether they want to liberalise the country’s strict abortion laws. “People in Ireland have the opportunity to right a wrong, to better protect the health of pregnant women and to ensure that doctors can provide the best possible care to women in Ireland,” Prof Arulkumaran said. Prof Sir Arulkumaran emphasises that the #8thAmendment still acts as a serious straitjacket on medical practitioners in Ireland - despite the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act. Professor Arulkumaran said the Eighth Amendment played a major role in Ms Halapannavar’s death because the healthcare team were concerned about the foetal heartbeat.

Source: Evening echo May 22, 2018 13:07 UTC