Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is no small thing to deliver a baby. While that statement may seem obvious, the enormity of childbirth creates a degree of trauma, which is sometimes lost on people. It is fine when everything goes well but an unexpected development, for example, a premature birth with considerable medical intervention, adds significantly to this trauma.

I should correct two statements made by previous speakers. The Social Democrats have been lauded for helping with this motion. While my party is supportive of the motion and is in the same group as the Green Party, it was drawn up exclusively by the Green Party. I do not wish to take credit for work done by someone else.

On another matter, Deputy Coppinger stated she disagreed with the Social Democrats on legislation on parental leave we introduced earlier this week. While we would have liked to have gone further, unfortunately, opposition parties are precluded under the Constitution from introducing money Bills or legislation that imposes a charge on the Exchequer. It is important to point out, therefore, that we could not introduce a Bill that would give rise to a charge.

Maternity leave was developed to allow new mothers not only to bond with their children, but also to take time to parent effectively, develop routines, gain confidence and so forth. Developing routines is a vital part of feeling sufficiently confident to leave the most precious thing one has to return to work. Women participate in the workforce to a much greater degree than previously and we must cater for and manage this change. Returning to work is one of the most difficult decisions young mothers can make. One frequently hears mothers speak of the trauma of returning to work. They often use holidays to extend their maternity leave, sometimes at great financial cost, because they do not feel ready to return to work.

Many other European Union countries, specifically the Nordic countries, have much more sophisticated maternity leave systems in place. They provide much longer periods of paid leave, in some cases up to three years after the birth of a child. In the changed, modern environment, fathers have thankfully become an increasing part of the bonding process and routine setting period that must be factored into leave. While our Bill on paternity leave is modest, it would extend the period of parental leave available to mothers and fathers.

Most mothers find themselves in a position in which they must return to work for economic reasons and they often do so much sooner than they would like. However, when a woman delivers prematurely, she and her baby require additional time. In the first instance, both the mother and baby need medical care. Moreover, when a woman worries about losing time at work and managing economically, these concerns add to an already stressful situation.

An important part of the motion is the extension of maternity leave to the original delivery date or the date on which the baby leaves hospital. This is a sensible provision. A premature birth requires significant additional care for the mother and baby and in many cases the pre-term period can involve extensive and intensive medical care, during which the mother does not get sufficient rest and recovery and the bonding and parenting period for which maternity leave is intended is largely absent. Premature delivery is not unusual, with one in 16 women in Ireland delivering prematurely. Women who have premature babies should not be terrified of losing valuable time with their new baby, either because nature or medicine has intervened and disrupted the timing that many of take for granted. The emotional and physical trauma of premature birth should not be compounded by parents worrying that the weeks of maternity leave they expected to have for bonding, fun and learning are to be lost.

Deputies who have given birth will remember the day on which they took their first child home. This experience is terrifying enough in the case of a child who is of average size and whose health is not compromised. It is much more terrifying when the baby is very small and may have compromised health. The civilised approach is to cater for such circumstances in the maternity and paternity regime.

The old cliché that we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing applies. We should know the value of this eminently sensible and necessary proposal which I hope the Government will accept.

I hope the House will agree to allow Deputy Eugene Murphy to use the rest of the time available to me.

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