Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Nobody in this Chamber knows what anybody else is dealing with, or has dealt with in the past. As politicians in this room, we all know that nobody ever knows what is really behind a hall door, no matter where it is in the country. In this country, we have abdicated responsibility in the area of supporting women in a crisis pregnancy or an unplanned pregnancy and instead the Irish solution has been to let somebody else sort it out.

I am proud that Fine Gael in government is not happy with that stance, and even though there are differing views within the party and within the House, all of which I respect, we as an Oireachtas are going to tackle this issue head on and let the people decide how we support women in the area of health. Let the decision be between the woman and her doctor, because I trust women to make a decision on what is in the best interests for them or their family.

We all know the statistics of women who have taken abortion pills or who have left the country to have an abortion. Behind every statistic we look at is a woman, a couple or a family going through one of the most stressful and difficult times of their lives, a time that will never leave them. We have exported this problem for years and our solution is to import an illegal solution. The UK has been a safety valve for our problem for far too long. As legislators, we have a duty of care to these women, whatever their decision may be, to support them through those difficult weeks or to medically intervene where needed. I am not comfortable thinking any woman, this evening, yesterday, 20 years ago or tomorrow, might take an abortion pill at home in fear, who feels isolated or on her own or, if it goes wrong, afraid to go to an accident and emergency department. That is not a comfortable position for me to be in.

There is a history in this State of, like the three monkeys, hearing no evil, seeing no evil and speaking no evil. If we do not talk about it, it is not happening, or we like to think it is not happening. However, we clearly know, as we stand here today, that ten women, following on from the 170,000 that went before them, are travelling to have their medical need met. We have covered our ears, we have closed our eyes and we have shut our mouths because that is the easiest way to pretend it is not happening.

I am the proud mother of two young beautiful girls whom I nurtured when I was pregnant and continue to nurture. I want the best for them throughout their lives and for them to be able to make clear and conscious decisions for their future. I did not come to my decision easily. I am very uncomfortable with abortion but as somebody in the position I hold, and which I am proud to hold, I have a duty of care to women and their families to make sure they feel their country is there for them at their time of need. For this reason, I support the committee's recommendations and repeal.

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