Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I learn more every week I attend a committee meeting. We think we have our positions when we come in here but we realise how much we do not know. I thank the witnesses for their expertise. Some of my questions have been touched on, in particular by Senator Gavan's last question. I am conscious we are coming up to the anniversary of Savita Halappanavar's death. It is easy for us, as we are not her family, friends or people who knew her, to keep hearing her name. However, it is important to ask the question while being sensitive of the impact it could have for people who are watching proceedings. Dr. Boylan said that Savita would still be alive today if she had been given an abortion when she first requested it. This is contested in some quarters by those who claim she died as a result of sepsis due to an inevitable miscarriage. Perhaps my question is for Professor Arulkumaran and Dr. Boylan because they were aware of the case and involved in the inquest. Do they believe the presence of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution cost Savita her life? There have been claims that the eighth amendment saves lives but we very rarely look at the lives it has cost.

My other question is to all three witnesses and is about the socioeconomic grounds. Sometimes it is seen as a ground in isolation. In women from low socioeconomic backgrounds there is an intrinsic link between their background and poor health. How can we begin to look at those two together instead of separately? There is a connection between socioeconomic status and the overall health and well-being of women from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds. When assessing the risk to health or life of a pregnant woman, are any social indicators taken into account in that assessment and, if not, should they be?