Ms Caroline Simons:

I beg the Chair's pardon. However, I am looking at the display, which is pink, and it is so attractive that I cannot take my eyes off it. I am so sorry if it is offensive. Senator Crown asked whether I was suggesting that anyone would feign suicidality or whatever. I have stated there is a legal problem in respect of suicide, as well as a medical problem in respect of suicide. As for feigning it, I note that when Dr. Anthony Clare spoke at the Oireachtas hearings in 2000, he stated that once one put this into the psychiatric arena, psychiatrists were hopelessly compromised. Moreover, Lord David Owen is on record as having stated that he coached his patients in order to present as being suicidal. One must realise what human nature has to say in this regard. I hope I make this clear.

In respect of Deputy Healy's question on lethal foetal abnormalities, that is not covered by the X case and will not be included in this legislation. I therefore was very surprised, on examining Simon Mills's draft, to find he had included both the health element and the lethal foetal abnormality element, because that will not be in legislation and is not appropriate. I now wish to hand over to Dr. Berry Kiely.