Babies being aborted in Ireland will not receive pain relief and will not be entitled to medical care if they survive the attempt to terminate their lives.
RTE reports that amendments to the abortion bill currently in Oireachtas that would prohibit the abortion of babies based on their sex, race or because of potential disability was also defeated.
These proposed amendments to prevent the suffering of unborn babies facing termination provoked the ire of Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger who also claimed the motion to prevent abortion on grounds of race contained racist stereotyping.
Another proposed amendment that is likely to be defeated would have doctors offer an ultrasound or audio of a foetal heart beat to the mother before she opts to end the unborn child’s life.
The Dáil also previously voted to allow girls under 16-years-old to access abortion without doctors being obliged to inform the child’s parents or authorities.
For his part Minister for Health Simon Harris said that “women’s rights are human rights and the Oireachtas would legislate in that regard.
While Deputy Coppinger said that allowing a woman the chance to see or listen to the heart beat of her unborn child before deciding if is killed would be “shaming and punishing”.