Noone Claims Abortion Committee Balance
26.02.2018
Senator Catherine Noone, who chaired the Oireachtas abortion committee claimed during the week that the committee had sought the views of doctors opposed to repealing the 8th Amendment, but were unable to find any. This is despite the fact that the Citizens’ Assembly report, which the committee was commissioned to study, contained submissions from pro-life doctors. Senator Noone has repeatedly rejected suggestions that her committee was unbalanced or that it had a predetermined outcome.
Senator Noone said the committee secretariat and the membership had been asked to put forward experts who would put the medical case for retaining the Eighth Amendment. She claimed that no Irish-based consultants or even GPs were made available to the committee.
A number of doctors who were invited to address the committee declined to do so after the committee voted preemptively to recommend repeal of the 8th Amendment at an early stage in its work. These included professor of psychiatry Patricia Casey and US-based professor of paediatrics Martin McCaffrey. He described the committee as a “kangaroo court”.
Family & Life. February 20. The Irish Times. February 19.