Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I hope it is on the way out. If one is a woman and pregnant, one cannot be suicidal. If a woman presents as being suicidal in these circumstances, there is not a psychiatrist in the country who can tell her that she has a possibility of dying by suicide because of that pregnancy. It is our job, as legislators, to ensure that in the rare case where someone is pregnant and feels suicidal as a result of that pregnancy - whatever its cause - we legislate to ensure that person is protected. If we do not do this, we are derelict in our duty. One can stand up and talk about angels dancing on the head of a pin all one likes, but the central issue concerns women, pregnancy and their lives and their families.

I have heard several speakers tonight say this has nothing to do with Savita. I very seldom mention that woman's name because what happened to her was a tragedy, not just for her but also for her entire family. That tragedy made this country far more sensitive to pregnancy than it had ever been. However, perhaps we were that sensitive when Miss X came before the courts - I think we were - and when Ann Lovett died. There have been periods when we have been that sensitive, but we have not acted. It is a certainty that if this legislation were in place when Savita was in hospital, the process that kicks in as soon as a woman says, "I want a termination," would have kicked in. I am not saying the circumstances or the end result would have been any different, but, at least, there would have been a process.

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