A member of the Mater Hospital's board of governors has said the hospital cannot carry out terminations under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.

According to Fr. Kevin Doran, the Dublin hospital could not carry out abortions as this went against the hospital's Catholic ethos.

He told the Irish Times he would be very concerned that Health Minister James Reilly saw fit to make it impossible for hospitals to have their own ethos.

The hospital's board is to meet shortly to discuss its position on the new abortion law.

The Mater is one of the hospitals designated under the new law as a centre where abortions can be carried out where the mother's life is deemed to be at risk.

It is one of two designated hospitals, along with St Vincent's in Dublin, that would have a strong Catholic ethos.

The planned abortion legislation originally only included maternity hospitals and units as designated centres. However, the list was was subsequently extended by the time the Act was passed to include major general hospitals as well.

One of the reasons given for including general hospitals in the lsit of centtes was that seriously ill pregnant women are often transferred from maternity units to general hospitals for critical care.

Catholic hospitals abortion clash likely

Vote in irishhealth.com's latest readers' poll - Do you think abortion should be allowed in cases of fatal fetal abnormality and rape?