Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for contributing to the debate. Let us be very clear so that there is no mystery here. What we are trying to do with this Bill is make abortion care in Ireland free, safe and legal. There is a direct correlation between the words "free" and "safe". If we want people to be able to access termination of pregnancy with medical support, we need to make it a universal service as many Deputies, including Deputy Butler and others who came at this debate during the referendum from a very different perspective to mine, honestly admitted. Otherwise, we will divide women in this country. We will provide certain women with access to medically-supervised termination and have a situation where women who cannot afford that continue to access unsafe and illegal abortion without any medical support. That is what we are trying to do here.

Deputy Chambers rightly said that pregnant women in this country do get free healthcare. Are we really suggesting that different women should get different types of free healthcare depending on the choice they make? Will we not respect the fact that pregnant women get to make that choice? We do not just provide free GP care if someone makes a choice that certain people in this House approve of but that we provide that free healthcare for all pregnant women.

I find it frustrating when I hear the argument that only when we live in some sort of perfect world and have addressed all the other ills and challenges that we face societally can we look after women in crisis. In other words, come back to us when nobody in Ireland is waiting for a cataract operation or a replacement hip operation. Why do women in crisis have to come last? They have come last in this country for far too long. The women of Ireland and those who love the women of Ireland spoke out very clearly in wanting that to no longer be the case. That is what this Bill is trying to do.

Like Deputy Bríd Smith, the irony is not lost on me, the women of Ireland or the partners of the women of Ireland that those who agitate about the reason people have to travel to Northern Ireland, and nobody wants anyone to have to travel to Northern Ireland, are still happy for every woman in a crisis pregnancy to leave our shores and go abroad for abortion care. Nine women did that today, and three women took the abortion pill today.

Deputy Ó Cuív is right. Inpatient charges are capped at €800 a year. I wanted to clarify that point as well.

Even though we have debated it for a very long period of time, I do not believe this amendment achieves what it is endeavouring to achieve. I pointed that out on Committee Stage in advance of Report Stage because the Deputy is trying to amend section 4, which is just a standard provision in the legislation. If she wanted to achieve what she wants to achieve, she should be amending a different part of the Bill because this provision does not relate to funding for the expanded service for the termination of pregnancy. As such, the amendment is inappropriate and would not achieve the aim Deputy Nolan is trying to achieve.

Last July, the Government approved the provision of termination of pregnancy services in this country on the basis of universal access for persons who are ordinarily resident in the State. That is the basis on which we are planning to introduce the services in 2019. That is the basis on which this legislation is before the Oireachtas, and I see no reason whatsoever to change it.

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