Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I had not intended to speak on this amendment either but, to be brutally frank, despite the play and messing around with words, the amendment is clear. It states: "...the relevant practitioner relevant medical practitioner or a qualified person assisting the relevant .... shall perform [an] ultrasound".

For the benefit of those who signed their names to the amendment, there is no version of ultrasound that does not involve the woman being present. A pregnant woman cannot have an ultrasound in another room and, therefore, it is clear that she will be present and she will hear and see. In case she does not, she must sign at the end anyway.

I struggle with this because I am not sure what the point is. Any pregnant woman can ask for an ultrasound. Nobody in the Chamber has asked more questions about the provision of scanning facilities than me, which the Minister will know.

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