Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach said he will listen to the interview, but he might bring the Tánaiste to sit and listen to it with him.

The first issue is that Sarah was not asked if she had allergies. She was asked about her sex life. That is the reality of it. The morning after pill is safer than paracetamol or Nurofen. One can go to the counter and get it without any questioning. Someone can give advice as to its safety, but this is different, because women are actually being interrogated. Can the Taoiseach imagine this happening in a small town or village? This incident occurred in a major retail chain.

The process in question adds to the cost, because once a woman has a consultation, the price of the medication goes up. This is another barrier to access for poorer or vulnerable younger women. In Boots in Cork city centre, it costs €60, while on the Lower Kilmacud Road in Stillorgan it costs €15.50. These are the variations. Women are actually looking up maps on the Internet to see where they can get the morning after pill. That is a ludicrous situation in this day and age.

On the substantive issue of abortion, it will be up to the public to decide to repeal the eighth amendment, but only this Dáil can legislate for abortion. I hope it listens to the public and what it is saying, because the public are ahead of the politicians.

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