Mr. Colm O'Gorman:

I am very happy to have that matter clarified by Senator Crown.

I thank the committee members for meeting us at such short notice having had the report. In the context of a hearing like this it is very difficult to articulate much of the testimony of the women and girls we interviewed. I know it is challenging for members to get through everything they are given to read. However, if they have time at all it would be incredibly valuable for them to read some of that testimony.

Ms Zampas spoke of Lupe, a woman who was required to return to a hospital in Ireland for repeated scans before she finally gave up and travelled to Spain to access an abortion. I do not intend to be too graphic here, but we need to be blunt about this. When she travelled she was bleeding all the way and frightened about the impact of a pregnancy that she knew could not possibly continue because she knew that the foetus had died. That took place three months after Ms Savita Halappanavar died. That is one of the cases I particularly ask members to pay attention to.

I have a request to make of the committee. Earlier Deputy Conway indicated that the committee may have plans to look at foetal impairment at some point. If at all possible we would like the committee to begin this conversation in a way that seeks to move it forward. Hopefully this evening's hearing will be a start to that and we really value the opportunity to appear before the committee. We need to begin the process of both the political and public conversation that needs to happen if we are to move the issue forward.

We would be incredibly grateful to the committee if in deciding its work programme in coming weeks it could open up a discussion on reviewing the eighth amendment and Ireland's legal and policy framework with regard to abortion. That would be an incredibly valuable contribution in seeking to move some of this forward. I do not underestimate the challenge involved in that. However, for those of us, including many members of the committee who have made it clear, who are understandably committed to finding a way to move some of this process forward, we cannot continue to wait until we have another tragedy. It is certain that if the committee, the Government and the Legislature do not act, at some point - it could be at any moment - we will be facing into another crisis, another tragedy where another girl or woman has lost her life or we face another macabre horrific situation on par with the one we faced towards the end of last year.

I thank members of the committee for giving their time and we look forward to engaging with them on the matter in the future.