Irish Medical Council

Medical Council's Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour and to Fitness to Practise: 1994

It has always been the tradition of the medical profession to preserve life and health. Situations arise in medical practice where the life and/or health of the mother or of the unborn, or both, are endangered. In these situations it is imperative ethically that doctors shall endeavour to preserve life and health… While the necessity for abortion to preserve the life and health of the sick mother remains to be proved, it is unethical always to withhold treatment beneficial to a pregnant woman, by reason of her pregnancy.

A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour (1998): Reproductive Medicine

Following calls for submissions and extended internal review, the 5th Edition of the Guidelines was published in 1998. Almost 500 submissions were received many in relation to issues of reproductive medicine. A single submission requested by the council to consider facilitating termination of pregnancy.

A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour (1998): Reproductive Medicine

The Ethics Committee and the Medical Council carefully considered both the existing legal uncertainty and the real needs of women dealing with crisis pregnancies. The Council Guideline offers doctors a clear statement of professional responsibilities. Section 26.5 states :

The deliberate and intentional destruction of the unborn child is professional misconduct. Should a child in utero suffer or lose its life as a side effect of standard medical treatment of the mother, then this is not unethical. Refusal by the doctor to treat the woman with a serious illness because she is pregnant would be grounds for a complaint and could be considered to be professional misconduct.