Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution

Termination in Cases of Foetal Abnormality: Ms Liz McDermott, One Day More

1:30 pm

Photo of Lisa ChambersLisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Ms McDermott. That was informative. It sounds like One Day More is doing fantastic work.

A lady presented to us a number of weeks ago. She was from a group that was searching for services in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. I realise that Ms McDermott does not accept that as a medical term but, like her, the lady told her story. I was moved by it and found her story upsetting. There were some similarities. She spoke about how she found people asking when the baby was due and their personal commentary on her bump, her and her baby extremely distressing. She had all of the guidance and support from her doctors and her family and everyone knew that the baby was not going to survive. She did not have the means to travel and, even if she had, travel was not an option because she had a young child. She said that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following that experience. This is an individual who was not pressured and knew all of the facts. She is saying that the absence of choice has had a severe impact on her mental health. Does Ms McDermott see people's difficulty when dealing with such a situation? What would she say to a woman like that?