Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the presentations. Before lunch we heard from the masters of the maternity hospitals. They said clearly that abortion is not a treatment for suicide or suicidal ideation and I do not believe anyone is espousing that it is. However, I contest the message that has been portrayed somehow to the effect that women who are in a crisis situation of mental health or a crisis pregnancy would somehow be able to dupe professionals into giving them an abortion.

I take offence on behalf of women and of professionals at the suggestion that they would be duped by women who are in crisis. That needs to be to the fore in our minds as we contemplate and reflect on what is going on today.

Professor O'Keane made the worthwhile and timely point that these women often will not end up in maternity hospitals or departments of psychiatry but will arrive in their local general practitioner's surgery, or in a surgery up the road, for fear of the negative stigma of having the feeling of suicide ideation and of inquiring about access to abortion services. What do professional psychiatrists say we, as legislators, need to do to inform and instruct general practitioners who are at the coalface, and who are not represented in these hearings? They are the people whom women in crisis pregnancy will be faced with to make hard decisions and get information. The information women receive at that point will be instrumental in their outcome. That is important.

It has been said that one woman in 500,000 may die from suicide in pregnancy. The fact that the numbers are so few is not a reason not to legislate. One suicide is one too many. What if that one person was one's mother, sister, aunt or daughter?

There has been some discussion about getting a second opinion when someone presents. Dr. McCarthy said there is division within the College of Psychiatry on this issue. How many psychiatrists would we need to make a decision such as this? This morning, we heard from the masters of the maternity hospitals that if a patient had an underlying cardiology issue they would consult a cardiologist and for a mental health issue they would consult a psychiatrist. Given the division in the college, what would the psychiatrists consider the most effective number of opinions to make that decision?