In the wake of a public apology by the HSE to a family whose baby had been aborted after a misdiagnosis, a group of medics have called on the HSE to “seriously examine” whether parents are being offered abortion as a “default option” in maternal healthcare settings where it is thought the baby has a life-limiting condition.
A spokeswoman for Health Professionals for Life, which includes doctors, nurses and midwives, said the organisation is calling on the HSE to “seriously examine the prevailing culture” in maternity care settings “to assess whether a mindset of offering abortion as a default option after a severe diagnosis has taken root since Repeal”.
Extending condolences to the family of Baby Christopher, Margaret McGovern said that “a tragedy like this should never have happened.”
“If healthcare truly lived by the principle first, do no harm, then vulnerable parents, especially when frightened or overwhelmed would always be supported in a way that protects both mother and unborn child. Every baby’s life has value, and every family deserves care that upholds that dignity,” she said.
“In moments like this, families depend entirely on the accuracy and honesty of the information they are given. When diagnoses are rushed, incomplete, or presented as certainties, parents cannot make informed decisions that fully respect the life of their baby. This can lead to irreversible outcomes that no family ever intended or imagined.”
“It is also a reality that many women experience deep pain or regret afterwards, especially if they felt they were not given the full picture, were overwhelmed with fear, or lacked the support needed to consider every life-affirming option. A compassionate healthcare system must acknowledge this and work to prevent it, not ignore or minimise it.”
“It is vital that a full investigation also looks at what seems to be a possibility of a shift in the culture in maternal healthcare,” she said.
“In fact, the latest research in regard to babies with Trisomy 18 and other life-limiting conditions show that these babies can live longer than was previously expected and that assisting families to pour a lifetime of love into those short lives can be a bridge to healing and a pathway that cares for every person involved.”
“Are alternatives to abortion being presented to families?” she asked. “It would seem from the Baby Christopher case that this might not be happening as it should.”
“Women and families deserve better: better access to ultrasounds, clearer explanations, emotional support, and care pathways that protect and respect both mother and baby, even in the face of difficult or life-limiting diagnoses. Parents should never be left feeling rushed or pressured, or that ending a pregnancy is the only option placed before them.”
“True patient care requires compassion, transparency, time, and a commitment to supporting life not assumptions, rushed conclusions, or irreversible decisions. We owe it to every mother, every family, and every unborn child to ensure these tragedies never happen again.”
The call from healthcare professionals, comes after HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster provided an “unequivocal” apology on behalf of the health service to a couple who decided to abort their baby after being wrongfully advised that the child, a healthy baby boy, had a life-limiting condition. They were told that testing had indicated the presence of Trisomy 18, an indicator of Edwards Syndrome.
Rebecca Price and Pat Kiely from Phibsborough in Dublin received the misdiagnosis in the National Maternity Hospital. In June 2021, the couple settled a High Court action after the hospital, Merrion Fetal Health Clinic and a Glasgow laboratory admitted full liability.
On Saturday, in a HSE statement, Mr Gloster said he had recently met the couple and had offered them a full apology for the “devastating loss” of their baby, who they named Christopher.
“I recognise that no words or actions can undo the loss suffered by Rebecca and Pat, but I hope the establishment of an independent review will allow us understand what went wrong in relation to their care and learn from it,” Mr Gloster added.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme, Mr Gloster also apologised for the delay in the apology and the “type of responsiveness” that Ms Price and Mr Kiely have received.
He said the HSE needs to learn from what happened and this is why there will be an independent review.
“This case was not examined to a level that it should have been and could have been, and regardless of our incident policies, which themselves require review, and I have them being reviewed.
“This case, absolutely because of the time it happened and because of the way it happened, and because of the passage of time, there can be no other investigation of this case other than an independent one,” Mr Gloster said.
Ms Price and Mr Kiely said they welcomed the apology and the announcement of an independent review.
“Christopher would now be six years old. It has taken years of extraordinary pain and resolve to reach this point.
“Our priority has always been to understand how this happened, why it happened, and why it seems that established safeguards were not applied to our care.”
In a statement, they said there had never been an apology or an investigation even though the National Maternity Hospital admitted full liability in 2021.
“We will continue to engage constructively with the review process, and our hope is that its findings will improve future care.
“We would also like to acknowledge the engagement of Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and her colleagues at the Department of Health,” their statement concluded.
Previously, the couple had said that they told the hospital they were not afraid to care for a child with a severe disability, but they were incorrectly told that there was “no hope” for their child and advised to have an abortion.
In March 2019, the Kielys were told the unborn child Rebecca was carrying had a fatal foetal abnormality and would not survive the pregnancy or would die within a day of delivery., the Irish Examiner reported today.
The advice given was it would be best to proceed with a termination.
An abortion was carried out when the baby was 16 weeks gestation.
The Baby Christopher case arose within months of abortion being legalised in Irelan.
Information released to Peadar Tóibín TD in 2023 showed that the State is currently being sued in two ongoing cases of a wrongful diagnosis in relation to the abortion act.
Vicky Wall of Every Life Counts, a support network for families where an unborn baby has been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, has also urged a full review of how the culture in maternity hospitals may be pushing parents towards abortion.
She said the news of two more cases which seemed to be similar to the Baby Christopher case was “absolute bombshell”.
“It is almost unbelievable that we are hearing of two more babies that have been aborted in this way,” she said.
Ms Wall said that she supported calls for a full investigation, adding that this had “already taken far too long”, a delay that “must have added greatly to the family’s suffering,” Ms Wall said.
“We would also support the call from health professionals regarding an assessment as to whether families are being given full information at time of diagnosis, including the most up to date research and awareness of perinatal hospice care as an alternative to abortion,” she said.