Dr. Anthony McCarthy:

The paper to which the Senator referred is a very good paper. It agrees with the basic assessment point I made, namely, that the mental health outcomes after termination or pregnancy are similar. In both cases, the risk is increased. Pregnancy itself is a risk to mental health. The reason I have a very busy service in the National Maternity Hospital is because of the mental health problems associated with the complications of pregnancy.

If a woman has a termination, she is equally likely to have mental health problems and no less or no more than a woman who does not have a termination and goes on to have a baby. Both are vulnerable. It is the single most vulnerable time in a woman's life. A woman is 19 times more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the first six weeks after the birth of a baby than in any other six-week period in her life.

There are certain circumstances, in particular in the case of women who have previous serious mental health problems, where women are more vulnerable to having problems whether they have a termination or go on to have a baby.