Dr. Sam Coulter Smith:

There were six terminations performed in the hospital last year. The incidence has risen in recent years, possibly on foot of the increasing age of those in the pregnant population, the complexity of illnesses we face and the rise in obesity levels, all of which increase risk. The figure of one per 500,000 refers to the incidence of suicide in the UK population, not the incidence of presentation of suicidal ideation, which would be much higher.

Certainty of risk is very difficult to determine. There are many grey areas and we must trust in medical practitioners. We have a fantastic quality of health professional working in our health service. The problem is getting to see them, not with what happens when one gets seen. We must trust in the judgment of our excellent doctors and protect them in making decisions.

On the question of whether we need to review or repeal the existing law, I am not a lawyer and I will leave that question to lawyers. I was asked if we have ever had to perform a termination of pregnancy because of risk of suicide and the answer is "No". Senator Crown asked about the extrapolation of the figures from the Rotunda to get a national statistic. He is in the right ballpark. Tertiary referral centres would probably see more of the complicated cases and I would have thought the national figure is between 20 and 30.

I was asked if there had been any needless maternal deaths because people would not or felt they could not act. I am not aware of any such case. I was asked if there were circumstances in which a foetus had to be killed in utero rather than delivered. In most circumstances it is possible to deliver the baby or foetus without killing the baby inside.