Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee this afternoon. I wish to address a few questions to Dr. Sedgh in respect of slide 6. Will she clarify whether she is saying that in countries where abortion is freely available, the abortion rate is similar to countries where it is very restricted or not available at all and will she expand on that? I wish to ask Dr. Sedgh about her figures on the gestation duration of pregnancies where they are terminated. She states that 90% of abortions are obtained in the first trimester; does she have any detail on the reasons for the other 10% of abortions? Is there any reason to think that the reasons for women having abortions as outlined in slide 12, would be replicated here? The figures show that roughly 25% of abortions were for socio-economic reasons; 25% for partner-related reasons; about 18% in order to space their children; 13% for reasons for having as many children as they wanted; and 1% related to health of the foetus. Dr. Sedgh may not be able to give exact feedback but perhaps she has a viewpoint on it.

Would Ms Hoctor speak about her opinion on the so-called floodgates argument? Should access to abortion be broadened after the referendum in this country? Is there experience in other countries of a floodgate opening once abortion is allowed on demand? Ms Hoctor responded to a colleague's question on this but where there are restrictions on abortion inserted in the Constitution in other countries, how did that affect the policy and practice in those countries and how it impacts on women and on the medical profession?