Maternity hospitals can’t guarantee abortion services will be ready

Dublin’s maternity hospitals areunable to guarantee that they will provide termination of pregnancy services from the beginning of January, as promised by Minister for Health Simon Harris.

In a statement, the National Maternity Hospital Holles Street said it could not “lay out a precise timetable at this point”.

The statement clearly contradicts the health minister, who has insisted the health service was prepared. The Coombe and Rotunda Hospitals declined to confirm that they ...