Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We estimate that three women today will order abortion pills online. Three women today will receive them in the post and three women today will take them. No matter what the result is on Friday, or rather, on Saturday when we count the votes, that will continue. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald is correct that these pills did not exist in 1983 but they are around for a number of years now, or are more readily available because of the Internet. Certainly, if people did not know about them they certainly do now after the debate we have had for the past few weeks. The number of women who decide to end their pregnancies by taking an abortion pill will certainly rise in the years ahead. That is inevitable, no matter what the result on Friday. Therefore, it is my view and I believe the view of most people in this House, that it would be better if it were done safely. What we are proposing in the draft scheme of the legislation and what will become possible if the eighth amendment is removed from our Constitution is the putting in place of a doctor-led system whereby women can obtain the pills from their doctor, not from a website. They would be able to go to their doctor and the doctor could talk to them about other options, which a website does not do. Options could be continuing the pregnancy or adoption. The doctor could offer the woman counselling and, of course, there would be a 72-hour period during which women could reflect on her decision. If they decide to go ahead, it can be done safely. It is dangerous to take the pills if one is too far along but one needs a doctor to check how far along one is. It is dangerous to take the pills if the pregnancy is ectopic because they will not work. It is dangerous to take these pills if one has a bleeding disorder. How does a woman know if she does not go to see her doctor? What we want to do is put in place a new system that is much safer than the one we have now, that allows people to discuss alternatives and that is compassionate.

In addition to the availability of the abortion pill, there has been another change since 1983. Pregnancies are now increasingly complex. Women are becoming pregnant much older than in the past. Owing to IVF, pregnancies are much more complex. Women with diabetes, severe epilepsy and neurological disorders must be borne in mind in this regard, and women with cystic fibrosis, for example, who might not have lived to reach the point where they could have children now can have children because of the improvements in health care. Therefore, there are much more complex pregnancies than in the past. Professor Mary Higgins speaks about this so well.

Currently, the eighth amendment ties the hands of doctors. Doctors can intervene to end a pregnancy only if there is a risk to the life of the mother, not a risk to health. To me, a risk to life is a very low bar when it comes to what we offer Irish women facing complex pregnancies. If we have a "Yes" vote on Friday, we can change from a risk to life to a serious risk to the health of the mother. That will allow doctors to sit down with the patient, weigh up the options and offer a termination if there is a serious risk to her health. Some mothers might decide to take that risk but others might not.

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