Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I will start off be alluding to the meeting of pro-choice doctors that took place in Limerick last night that was harassed and hounded and had to change venue. There is a boycott campaign being waged against the Savoy Hotel. I just want to put on the Dáil record that is not the hotel where the meeting took place, if the anti-choice people could stop boycotting it. The reason I mention those tactics is that if one listened to some of the recent speakers, one would think doctors were being forced and coerced into carrying out abortion whereas, in fact, under current medical guidelines they can conscientiously object, and that is not being changed.

We are hearing a great deal about the rights and freedom of conscience of medics, but I want to put the other side of it, that is, the impact of this conscientious objection provision on women and those who are pregnant. I weighed up whether I would completely oppose conscientious objection being allowed at all because it is not allowed in public health in Sweden, Finland and Iceland. If somebody does not want to provide abortion, he or she can go into the private sector and work in whatever sphere he or she likes. There is a reason for that. The Deputies can all be clear: this applies only to women's health and reproductive rights and not to any other area of medicine. We do not hear Deputies railing about the rights of doctors to object conscientiously to anything relating to male health.

It applies only to women's reproductive rights. Conscientious objection is not allowed in countries which have a long-established high threshold for women's rights because they will not allow those rights to be subordinate to religious beliefs, which is what is being proposed. Although we will be able to cope with conscientious objection in Ireland because there will be enough doctors to provide services, I ask Members to spare a thought for women in countries such as Mexico, which introduced abortion in the first trimester but has a shortage of doctors because it is a poor country with a low ratio of doctors to the general population. The National Action Party, a conservative right-wing political party there, began a campaign to pressurise doctors to opt out. It stated that abortion might be guaranteed in law but it would ensure it does not happen in practice. A similar situation pertains in Italy. The stigmatisation of abortion in a manner similar to that which we have heard from some in the Chamber over the past few hours forces doctors to opt out and conscientiously object. A campaign by right-wing forces in Italy has led to it being very difficult for women to access abortion across swathes of the country, resulting in some women travelling abroad for a termination. I would like to hear a little more about the vote we mobilised in May which was about women's individual right of access to abortion and right to choose, whether some Members like it or not.

There has been reference to a showdown with doctors. A similar situation arose on the legalisation of contraception. It was well known that a doctor in general practice for a long time near where I lived in Blanchardstown would not provide contraception to women who needed it. The idea that doctors will suddenly be forced to provide services does not stand up.

It is important to send the message that there will be enough doctors to provide services. What one hears in this Chamber is rarely representative of the views of the majority of society, but it certainly has not been for the past few hours. There will be enough doctors to provide the services. A survey of doctors carried out in the summer of 2012 was presented to the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Some 76% of GPs surveyed were willing to provide terminations in all or most circumstances. One would imagine that those attitudes have moved on since the summer of 2012, which was pre-Savita Halappanavar and the repeal movement.

The Minister is not currently present. Women in Ireland are finding out that they are pregnant. They may be in their bedroom or bathroom and faced with a crisis pregnancy. Some Members may not like it if such people choose to have an abortion but the people voted to change the law and allow them to make that decision. It is imperative that they have access to such services in January as was the impression they were given. We should prevent any delay in that regard. The Minister must ensure that the necessary training takes place such that doctors feel sufficiently trained to provide these services, that ultrasound facilities are available where required and that the 24 hour phone line is in place.

Deputy Fitzpatrick asked why we cannot ask doctors to opt in. The country did not vote for that. The majority of the people did not vote to stigmatise abortion as strange and outside normal healthcare. The discussion very clearly revolved around healthcare as a right of women and for that reason we must ensure that we do not have an opt-in policy. Can one imagine, given the harassment that has already been experienced in hospitals, what would happen to doctors who opted in? They would be absolutely hounded by some of those who have spoken tonight and it would be quite dangerous for them to opt in. If doctors wish to opt out, that is fine and they can do so, but it is very important that we do not have a list of doctors who opt in as an exception.

See this speech in context