John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope the delegates will not assume any disrespect by my remaining seated. It seems I am too tall for the microphone. I have several questions for Professor Casey. I accept her evidence that suicide in pregnancy is rare as extremely credible and entirely within her professional competence. Her statement that there is a lack of evidence that abortion will ever end a suicidal tendency in a pregnant woman and will never save her life is plausible but a little speculative. Does she believe that this set of circumstances has never happened and could never happen? If she believes it could happen even once, would she not, as a doctor, want the legislation in place to make sure women are protected against that eventuality occurring, being cognisant of the fact that if suicide does occur, there will, according to the two-patient theory, be two deaths?

I apologise if I am being somewhat provocative in making my next point, and I apologise for not being here for the entirety of Professor Casey's oral presentation. Her prepared statement alludes to the argument that there might be a floodgate phenomenon, that is, an abuse of the suicidal ideation clause in any abortion legislation. With great respect, this is entirely without her professional competence. It is not something she should be discussing because it is not something that is within her remit as a psychiatrist. It may be within the remit of those who look at sociological trends or of lawyers or forensic analysts of various kinds. It is not, however, something that a psychiatrist should be testifying about. In fact, that level of testimony would perhaps be more appropriately heard at the meeting on Thursday. I also note that Professor Casey is an affiliate of an organisation which has a non-professional - entirely legitimate but non-professional - argument to advance on this issue.