Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The elephant in the room is that, in Britain, abortion on the grounds of mental health issues in particular has been the ground on which the widespread availability of abortion - effectively abortion on demand - has occurred. This is despite the fact that the ground has shifted in this area. When we heard evidence about mental health, we were reminded that there was no evidence associating abortion with improvements in mental health for women and that there was some evidence of a low to moderate increased risk to women's mental health in certain cases. That has led to calls for a change to the approach in Britain, even among those who support abortion as a right generally, so as not to link abortion with mental health as a ground. That was not challenged before this committee.

Linking mental health with physical health, in effect, seeks to bring in abortion on demand under the pretext of a therapeutic intervention.

On the question of physical health, we have heard no evidence at this committee that the health of any woman was compromised by the requirements of the settled law of Ireland. That is a fact. We have heard no evidence that any doctor was ever pursued by the criminal law for having made an appropriate therapeutic intervention that resulted in the loss of the life of an unborn child. The reason for that is as follows. Under the settled law of Ireland the threat to a woman's life does not have to be imminent. Several times Deputy Durkan has mentioned cases where people have died. I would like to hear what he is talking about because the settled law of Ireland has not compromised anybody's life.