IRELAND
Befast Telegraph
The Health Minister has called on an order of nuns to agree contracts allowing lawful abortion or contraceptive treatment in the new National Maternity Hospital.
Simon Harris issued the demand to the Sisters of Charity, which owns the land in south Dublin where the new 300 million euro facility is planned next to St Vincent’s Hospital.
Amid furore over nuns potentially determining clinical care at the hospital and concerns being raised by a respected consultant obstetrician, it is one of three criteria the minister has asked health chiefs to get formal assurances on.
Questions over whether the Sisters of Charity would have ultimate ownership of the public hospital and could profit from it also provoked anger as the congregation has yet to pay three million euro of redress for victims of institutional child abuse.
Mr Harris said: “I have heard people say that nuns will be running the hospital. Not true.
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