Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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My follow-up question arises from Dr. McCarthy's public comments during the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. One of his comments was why would any woman want to put herself through the process of having to go before a panel and almost have their mental health questioned. If we were to get to a position where we had a more liberal regime for terminations, where mental health was one of the grounds for it, I presume that analysis would stand no matter whether we had terminations in all circumstances. If somebody had to go before a panel of psychiatrists and almost prove that she had mental health issues, does it make a difference whether it is a very restrictive or a very relaxed liberal regime? I do not know how one would deal with having to put a woman through a process that is obviously going to be distressing for her. From the evidence we have heard today, would it be correct to presume that one of the ways one would deal with it is by on-request terminations up to a certain period? What would Dr. McCarthy's opinion be in terms of women's mental health? I presume Dr. McCarthy would say that it would never be good to have a woman almost have to prove her mental health status before she could access a termination, regardless of whether the regime is very restrictive or very liberal.