Ms Alison Spillane:

I have a lot to say about data protection generally, but specifically on the issue of conscience, from the IFPA's perspective, I am not sure we are coming at the issue from the correct direction. We do not know that all those who are not engaged in the provision of care are objectors. Thankfully, a strand of research is just getting off the ground with providers that will, we hope, identify some of those reasons.

Work and efforts would be better focused on engaging with non-providers through education and values work. When the services were being established, at the end of 2018 and in early 2019, some significant work was done with the World Health Organization regarding what is called values clarification, that is, understanding the ethics of abortion care and the values that inform that kind of service delivery. That work generally focused on people who were going to be involved directly in the provision of care.

From our perspective, that work should be resourced and should engage all staff in maternity hospitals, even those who are not involved in provision. We certainly have experience of clients who have presented to emergency services or hospitals outside of the abortion service in the hospital and encountered inappropriate treatment in the form of stigma and judgment. Dr. Henchion might wish to come in on that.