Ms Liz McDermott:

There is a spectrum of situations. We cannot legislate for all situations. In legislating for abortion we are making a statement about life, namely, that life is contingent upon what particular people can deal with. That is a very dangerous line to cross. I have repeatedly made the point that women need support so that they do not feel that abortion is the only thing they can do to get themselves out of this reality. We cannot, unfortunately, make women unpregnant but we can put in place measures that will support and help them. I acknowledge that for a woman who is advanced in years, has put having children behind her and has moved on with her life, the road ahead in terms of pregnancy is not an easy one but it is not impossible either. That has been my experience and I want to share that with everybody. We also have to be mindful-----