Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not proposing this discrete move, as the Taoiseach described it, as being optimum. The optimal situation is that we could move the legislation within a matter of weeks and give immediate effect to the will of the people. We all accept, however, that is just not possible and, in any event, we have to be sure-footed in the drafting of the new legislation.

The bottom line is that women and girls will still fall pregnant. Some of those pregnancies will be in crisis circumstances, such as, for example, a diagnosis of a fatal foetal anomaly. The fact is that those women and girls will still have to travel. That situation will pertain until the law is changed which the Taoiseach envisages to be early next year. We cannot leave women in the impossible situation that they leave by boat or plane with a telephone number in their pockets without their medical files. That is an intolerable situation. I am suggesting as a mitigation - it is nothing more than that – that we ensure, at a minimum, that women or girls who still have to make the journey can do so with the advice, the care and the assurance of their doctors with their medical files in a joined-up and caring way. That is the least we could do.

While I accept the decriminalisation issue is urgent, in the practical outworking of this for women, I think this is the priority legislation. Will the Taoiseach keep an open mind on this matter? It is a necessary move and I believe, if there is goodwill, we could clear the decks. It is a simple matter of repeal. It is straightforward enough technically. When does the Taoiseach propose to talk to the Leaders of the Opposition on matters such as this?

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