The following is the full statement by the masters of the Coombe Women's Hospital; the National Maternity Hospital, and the Rotunda Hospital:
There has been much debate concerning this amendment to the Constitution and it appears that there are a number of misconceptions and indeed confusion among members of the public.
We believe it was never going to be possible to achieve a broad consensus on the abortion controversy but that the current wording is the result of a thorough and exhaustive consultative process.
We would like to take this opportunity to clarify what are the medical issues concerning the proposed amendment. This amendment seeks to deal with the small number of pregnancies where there is a significant risk to the life of the mother. The three Dublin maternity hospitals are responsible for the delivery of more than 40 per cent of all births in Ireland and deal with the majority of cases where there is serious maternal or foetal risk to life in pregnancy.
We believe this amendment seeks to protect the life of the mother even if that results in the death of the developing foetus.
It is consistent with the practice of obstetrics in Ireland, which is one of the safest countries in the world for a woman to deliver her baby.
This amendment allows rare medical conditions such as Eisenmenger's Syndrome to be managed in order to minimise the risk to the life of the mother. These cases are rare. In our three hospitals combined we are unlikely to see more than one to two cases in a given year.
We agree with the statement issued by the Institute of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists that emergency treatment for women with incomplete miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy will not be affected by the amendment and that these women will continue to receive appropriate obstetric care throughout the country.
We believe this amendment will give a legal protection to doctors caring for women who are at significant risk of dying as a direct result of being pregnant.
We offer this opinion not as members of any political party or as representatives of the boards of our institutions but as doctors who strive on a daily basis to ensure the health of all women and babies who seek care in our hospitals.