Professor Veronica O'Keane:

I am not privy to that information, so I will discuss my experience in a general way. The delays have been unacceptable. There have been delays of up to two weeks where each day is a nightmare for the woman. Sometimes, she has been hiding this fact from everyone, including her partner or ex-partner and her children. Most of the women I have seen in this regard have been mothers and have been trying to pretend that this is not happening to them. They are not given any reassurance about whether it will happen. They are usually financially destitute, but are unable to look for money because they must hide the fact that they are seeking an abortion. I cannot say what the time lapse is generally, but it has been unacceptable in the cases that I have seen.

Another issue that is worrying about the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act is that while we have a register of women who have had the procedure, we have no idea of the number of women who have applied for abortions. There may be women who applied for abortions and were not certified as being appropriate for same and - I say this with trepidation and a great deal of sadness - who have not survived from a psychiatric point of view or have gone on to kill themselves. I do not know - nobody knows - because there is no register of women who apply for the procedure. There is only a register of women who have received it.