Dr. Brendan O'Shea:

The Deputy has raised the very important question of women who regret having had an abortion. From the perspective of general practice, we appreciate that whether or not to have greater availability of abortion in this country is a very important issue. Many general practitioners believe the issue of contraception is arguably even more important and a critical part of the long-term solution. I concur with Deputy Fitzpatrick that the stories of women who regret having had an abortion are quite important.

There is an evidence base on this issue, in particular a study conducted in the United States called the turnaway study, which looked at psychological sequelae in women who had or were denied a termination. Its methodology is a little complex. Two sample groups of women were recruited into the study from a variety of centres across the United States, and that has to be interpreted accordingly. The women took part in the study close to the time of their making a decision on a termination. Some proceeded to have a termination and others were denied a termination on grounds. They were then followed for a period of five to seven years and the psychological impact of their experience was measured and examined. That is not the exact issue raised by the Deputy but it is quite close to it. The turnaway study found that the level of psychological symptoms and anxiety was greater in the women who proceeded to parenthood than in the group who had a termination. It was also found that over a period of years the level of psychological consequence was equal between the two groups. That is international peer-reviewed research that to some extent speaks to the issue raised by the Deputy. However, we believed and were keen that the evidence we were asked to present to the committee should focus on the health of the woman, with no distinction being drawn between physical and mental health. The focus of our presentation related to the process of unplanned pregnancy as we experience it in our surgeries and the immediate as opposed to longer-term consequences of that.