Clinically dead pregnant woman kept alive by Irish hospital
A woman who suffered a blood clot is being kept on life support in Ireland against her family’s wishes because there is a chance her baby could survive.
A mother of two, who is in her 20s is about 17 weeks pregnant. She suffered a blood clot two weeks ago and doctors in Dublin were unable to save her, but have kept her on life support in order to save the baby.
However, the woman’s parents have asked for the life support machine to be turned off. However, because of a constitutional amendment that gives the rights of mothers and the unborn equal status, Mullingar hospital in the midlands has said it will not do this.
The hospital is now seeking a legal advice on what do about the woman’s parent’s request, a source told the Irish Independent.
“The legal advice would be there is one life here and it is the unborn child. Everything practicable has to be done – and that’s both under the constitution and the legislation passed last year. There is also a high possibility the unborn child will not survive.”
In Ireland, abortions are not permitted even if mothers have suffered a catastrophic event resulting in permanent disability, because of the eighth amendment to the constitution.
The amendment, passed in 1983, was designed to prevent abortion being legalised in Ireland at any point in the future. Opponents of abortion feared the Irish supreme court could interpret a right to abortion within the constitution.
The legal advice would be there is one life here and it is the unborn child…There is also a high possibility the unborn child will not survive. – hospital source
In 1992, there were two successful attempts to loosen the ban, the 13th and 14th amendments, by guaranteeing a pregnant woman’s right to freedom of travel and to information about abortion services available abroad respectively.
Legally unclear
In England, the situation is also legally unclear, said Dr Martin Harris, who specialises in medico-legal matters. Dr Harris said the situation in England would centre on the viability of the life of the foetus. Doctors would have to put the options to the family and discuss them thoroughly, but it is unlikely the hospital would keep a woman on life support against a family’s wishes, and would need a court decision to do so.
Ireland’s health minister, Leo Varadkar, has waded into the debate, saying the eighth amendment to the constitution is too restrictive and has a chilling effect on doctors. He has called for a referendum on abortion.
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, quickly moved to distance himself from the health minister’s comments, saying Varadkar was speaking in a personal capacity.