AONTÚ ARE SEEKING a “change in relation to the law on abortion” so that mothers will be prohibited from terminating a pregnancy if a child may have a disability. 

Under the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2019 – which gave women in Ireland access to abortion services for the first time – services are available to everyone up to 12 weeks into their pregnancy, with a three-day waiting period.

The law states that terminations can only be carried out after 12 weeks in cases where there is a risk to the life or health of the mother or in cases where doctors determine the foetus will die before birth or 28 days after birth.

Speaking outside the Dáil at his party’s candidate launch Tóibín said Aontú would be seeking that the 12-week rule be amended so that abortions taking place on account of the foetus having a disability are banned.

“You can get a non-invasive pregnancy test that has a 90%-accuracy level in terms of whether a child has a disability or not. This is being used currently, according to the masters of the maternity hospitals, in order to identify if a child has a disability,” he said.

He said he does not believe it should be the case that every women undergo that test, but added “all we are saying is that it shouldn’t be the case, and in many countries at the moment it is not a case, where it is a grounds that a person can have an abortion if a child has a disability”. 

Tóibín said that a key component of Aontú’s political belief is the right to life and, if in government, would be also seeking that HSE services offer more life-affirming advice to women.

One method to do this, Aontú’s leader said, was to provide more investment for the HSE helpline MyOptions – which gives advice to women who are contemplating terminating a pregnancy.

The freephone helpline says it gives callers judgement-free counselling and provides them with information on “all options” available to them.

Canvassing on Meath St in Dublin this afternoon, People Before Profit candidate Hazel de Nortúin – who is seeking to take retiring party colleague Bríd Smith’s seat – said she would prefer if Tóibín addressed women’s health more before turning to abortion.

“To put it mildly to Peader, not in the depths of hell would I even stand beside him if he was going to call for the repeal of the repeal of the eight [amendment],” she told The Journal.

De Nortúin said the that the debate has been had and the country has decided its stance on the matter. She questioned where Aontú stood on issues facing young mothers, women and children in Ireland, such as suicide and social depreveration.

“Come and talk to me about that first and then I’ll try and make them feel that [Aontú] have a concern about women and children,” she added.