Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Fletcher for coming before the committee and for her responses. Following on from Deputy Naughton's line of questioning, if nothing else but decriminalisation happens, how does Dr. Fletcher see the situation developing? Would it be legislation to protect the medical sector? Alternatively, would it be left entirely to the medical sector? Would that be wise given the litigious nature of our society nowadays?

Abortion on-request with space for ongoing counselling has been raised and provision appears to be urgently needed in respect of counselling. Some countries have it and some countries do not. One of the things adduced at this committee in the past couple of weeks was that in some situations the pregnant woman changes her mind during the course of the pregnancy. How does one determine at which stage in the pregnancy it is correct to proceed in a particular fashion and to go for termination or not to go for termination given her natural tendency to change her mind in the course of the pregnancy?