Dr. Eamonn Moloney:

Many points already have been covered but I reiterate my opinion that just two medical opinions would be sufficient, one from a general practitioner and one from a consultant psychiatrist. We really are addressing the legislation before us here and are not really addressing the totality of care women need and obviously, to address Deputy Dowds's concerns, that would continue. Someone in distress, someone who was suicidal, will get the care she needs regardless and the certification procedure can go on. In order to reduce the need for a woman to see more and more psychiatrists, ideally the people who provide the treatment also could do the certification. This is the reason a process which mirrors the Mental Health Act would reduce the number of assessments through which a woman would be obliged to go. However, the woman at all times will get access to the health and care she needs at that point.

Similarly, most situations will arise early in the first trimester. Outside of that, when there are issues with regard to foetal abnormality or foetal viability, obviously there would be discussions as best medical practice would dictate there should be consultation, liaison and discussion with our obstetric colleagues. As for stating repeatedly that abortion is no treatment for suicide, the latter is associated with certain conditions for which treatment is available. Consequently, what we are talking about is not treatment but is about eligibility for someone to have an abortion. There certainly have been and again will be, rare circumstances in which a termination is essential to deal with a pregnant woman's suicidality associated with a crisis pregnancy. The use of extravagant language and exaggerated claims of some sort of conspiracy involving consultant psychiatrists, general practitioners, GPs, and obstetricians to open the floodgates of abortion are simply exaggerations. They are what they are, namely, exaggerated claims.