MINISTER FOR STATE Lucinda Creighton has said that she tabled an amendment to her own Government’s abortion bill “in good faith”.

Creighton was speaking in the Dáil this evening as part of the resumed report and final stage of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy 2013. In tabling amendment 22, which asks for the following to be inserted on page 7, between lines 12 and 12, the word:

“viable”, in relation to a pregnancy, means a foetus or embryo that is, or would be expected to be, capable of surviving independently outside the womb by reason of its gestational age;

She argued that a gestational term limit was “the minimum we can offer” in any legislation for abortion, ie, a point in a pregnancy beyond which an abortion is not legal.

Róisín Shortall, independent (formerly Labour) TD for Dublin North-West, also argued for some term limit to be defined as a guide to clinicians some of whom, she says, have expressed concern to her about “ethical dilemmas” and the “legal situation” and Peadar Tóibín wanted a 12-week limit to be set.

Independent Dublin South TD Peter Mathews (formerly Fine Gael) warned the 166 deputies that they were in the process of “setting in cement” legislation that would have “all their signatures” in it – and that they would essentially want to be happy with what they were giving their names to in perpetuity.

Debate continues on a series of amendments grouped together by Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett – we will update with the verdict on Creighton’s amendment but it is expected to be defeated.

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