Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome members and viewers, who may be tuning into our proceedings on Oireachtas television, to the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. We will be holding three separate sessions this afternoon. The first session will address international legal rights and services. Our second session will consider a view of medical law and our third session will look at risks to mental health. Before I introduce our first witnesses, at the request of the broadcasting and recording services, members and visitors in the Public Gallery are requested to turn off their telephones completely or put them in airplane mode. That really is an issue. The week before last there was an awful lot of interference, even on the RTÉ coverage. It is really important that mobile telephones are off, because it causes a lot of interference both for the staff working here and for the television studios.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the witnesses, Dr. Gilda Sedgh, principal research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, Ms Leah Hocter, regional director for Europe, Center for Reproductive Rights, and Ms Katrine Thomasen, senior legal advisor for Europe, Center for Reproductive Rights. You are all very welcome to this afternoon's meeting.

Unfortunately, before we commence formal proceedings, I must advise witnesses on the matter of privilege. I wish to advise that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I now call on Dr. Sedgh to make her presentation.