Question from Deputy Peadar Tóibín - PQ 38442-26

To ask the Minister for Health the protocols and legal frameworks governing the disposal of unborn babies remains following termination of pregnancy in the State; if such remains are, in any circumstances, treated or disposed of as clinical or healthcare risk waste within the public health system; the options provided to women regarding the handling, burial, cremation, or other forms of disposal of pregnancy remains; if any oversight or regulatory mechanisms are in place to ensure appropriate and respectful handling of such remains; if any tissues arising from termination of pregnancy are used for medical research, transferred to third parties, or supplied to pharmaceutical or other commercial entities, and if so, the regulatory basis for such practices; and if she will make a statement on the matter.