Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Every couple's experience is unique. It is clear from the many stories we hear that the outcomes are different and there are many different permutations. I hope that next year that the law is changed in order to provide dignified access to medical care in Ireland.

The witnesses spoke of people who receive a diagnosis of complications, of fatal foetal abnormalities, a complex blend of things, and of term limits and testing. What they said about things taking time was correct. No one will make the decision easy. There will always be a second or third opinion and that brings us back to matters of education and access to information; the wealthier one is and the more educated one is, the more access one has to all this.

What would the witnesses like to see happen? Would they like to see people in their situation supported to whatever stage in the pregnancy they continue? Can the witnesses spell out what, ideally, they would hope to see which would alleviate the grief to some extent? I believe the witnesses do worthwhile work but what would be the achievement that they would like to see that would be of massive significance in Ireland?