Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome our guests and thank them for their attendance. Part one of the test for abortion on suicide grounds, as per the X case, is that as a matter of probability there must be a real threat posed to the life of the mother by way of self-destruction. Can psychiatrists judge, as a matter of probability, whether someone will commit suicide? Can they point to any published research supporting their answer and their views? Would they contend that this part of the X case test is generally unachievable from a psychiatric perspective? The X case judgment stated that abortion could be the only way of treating suicidal ideation. Is there psychiatric evidence for what that judgment presupposed, namely, that abortion can be a form of unnecessary mental health treatment?

In paragraph four of his submission, Dr. John Sheehan said that in a psychiatric emergency, speedy delivery of the baby is contraindicated as it is likely that the patient has an impaired capacity and should be advised not to make irrevocable decisions in such a state. This is particularly relevant in cases where a person may have developed a transient and negative pessimism, hopelessness or despair which, with treatment, is generally resolved, as stated earlier. In light of this, what does he make of the calls to drastically shorten the processes for deciding on whether a termination in such circumstances is permissible and should such processes be strengthened rather than shortened?