Updated at 12.12
Department of Health Officials told HSE bosses to call off court action to forcibly feed 'Ms Y'.
It is reported Senior officials in the Department of Health had serious concerns, after the HSE wanted to forcibly hydrate the young woman who was on hunger strike after being refused an abortion.
The Sunday Independent reports that the unprecedented intervention by the Department of Health took place over the August bank holiday weekend as the young asylum seeker known as Miss Y was six months pregnant, suicidal and in hospital requesting an abortion.
Department officials discovered that the HSE had obtained a High Court order to allow them to forcibly hydrate the young woman after she went on hunger strike, and that it was preparing a second legal action in relation to the legality of terminating her pregnancy.
The young woman's plight triggered a legal crisis, as lawyers and medics dealt with the first case of a suicidal woman seeking an abortion under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.
It's understood the Department of Health was notified about the Miss Y case at a "very late stage" by the HSE.
In a statement issued this morning, the HSE says "the issues discussed and the legal action ceased was not related to a court order about hydration."
It goes on to say that "Those actually involved in the care of Miss Y at that point, and therefore responsible for the operation of the legislation, had to make decisions in real time in what was very complex circumstances. "
