Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 January 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Implementation of Government Decision Following Expert Group Report into Matters Relating to A, B and C v. Ireland

12:30 pm

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My question refers specifically to the issue of suicide, bearing in mind that nobody to whom I have spoken and not one of the experts we have heard to date – Dr. Ó Domhnaill is the sixth psychiatrist to appear before us – has said abortion is a treatment for somebody who is presenting with suicidal ideation. Consider the options in the expert group's report as to how legislation could be framed regarding the composition of the group that must sign off on a case, be it one obstetrician and one psychiatrist or one obstetrician and one cardiac specialist, depending on the problem of the woman presenting.

In my humble view, I can envisage that if and when the legislation is passed and given the proposed restrictions, there probably never will be a case in which a woman potentially could receive or be recommended an abortion. Consequently, knowing what the witnesses know and how they treat their patients, I am curious as to the reason there is such a huge concern for such a tiny number of prospective medical interventions, particularly in respect of suicide. What is their fear? I obviously lack the expertise to know, when one talks about floodgates opening, where the witnesses envisage them opening or, having passed legislation, what potentially would be their fears?

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