Ms Orla O'Connor:

This is a really important issue for the National Women's Council of Ireland. We have stated very clearly that abortion is not in isolation from all the other things in society, including the inequalities that women experience. I agree that we need it to be easier in this society to have children. There needs to be choice but there also need to be supports and the National Women's Council of Ireland campaigns for affordable child care and other things. Disability is sometimes brought into the discussion disingenuously, and we need to do a lot more on the rights of people with disabilities, including the area of State supports where disabled people need it. However, that does not take away from choice.

This is about the human rights of women, including the right to make choices and rights over our bodies, but that is totally missing from Senator Mullen's contribution. We will never agree but abortion is a reality and women in Ireland choose to have abortions. We have to make a decision about how we support those women and provide the services here because it is happening here.