Hundreds of doctors from 44 countries including some of Ireland’s most prominent physicians have called on the Republic’s government to decriminalise abortion.
The 838 doctors and medical practitioners have joined an Amnesty International campaign to lift the threat of a 14-year jail sentence for providing or assisting in the provision of an abortion in Ireland.
A letter from the international team of medics has been sent to the Fine Gael–Labour coalition in Dublin, warning that criminalisation is putting the lives of young women, including rape victims, at risk.
“The criminalisation of abortion prevents healthcare providers from delivering timely, medically indicated care in accordance with their patients’ wishes,” the letter says.
