Ms Ailbhe Smyth:

With regard to possible changes in practice, I agree very much with Ms Orla O'Connor. The legislation is obviously extremely important, not least in that it will provide some clarity and reassurance to medical practitioners. For that reason alone, it is crucial. It sends a signal and serves as recognition that abortions can, should be and are carried out in this country and that women need them. When considering changes in Ireland over the past ten or 12 years, one will note it is true that the number of women and girls going to Britain has been decreasing. Fortunately, the number of teenage pregnancies is also decreasing. However, we must bear in mind that abortion will need to be availed of by women for some time into the foreseeable future. Therefore, we need to provide for it. The best way we can do so is by maintaining and developing our investment in health education and promotion in regard to sexuality, reproduction and relationships.

The investment that the health service has made in seeking to combat the spread of AIDS in Ireland has really been very effective and successful. While it would be quite wrong to state there is no longer any problem in this area, health promotion and education, which have been undertaken both in educational settings and communities, particularly the LGBT community, have been very effective. We have models for the education, promotion and awareness process that can be drawn on very readily. However, this requires the commitment of resources and a commitment to really addressing the problem to seek to ensure we can reduce, as far as is humanly possible, the need for any woman to have an abortion.

However, given the cases I have mentioned very briefly in my presentation - cases in which the abortion of a wanted pregnancy is required or desired for medical reasons, such as the tragic circumstances associated with fatal foetal abnormality, which will not be covered by the X case legislation - we really need to address the matter in this State matter of urgency.