Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I totally agree with Dr. Mahony on that. In terms of the issue of criminalisation, I found myself, probably like others, faced with whether we supported legislation after not being able to amend it. I can understand why it would be incredibly difficult to work in that kind of an environment and make the judgment calls in real time. That legislation was around legislating for what is in the Constitution - the equal right to life.

I would like to move on and ask about the right to health, which is deemed by international human rights organisations as a right, but it is very difficult to see how the right to health can be provided for in the context of the eighth amendment. Dr. Mahony might speak a little on that and how she might differentiate between serious risk or risk, whether should she be differentiating, and whether that ought to be something that is very much down to the clinician and the woman involved.