Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Tá an Comhaontas Glas sásta tacaíocht a thabhairt don rún seo. I commend Deputy Donnelly on tabling this motion, which the Green Party is happy to. Something I have heard repeatedly from women who have used our maternity services is that they were surprised by their lack of choice in birth plans, from a midwife-led approach to home birthing. The support options simply are not there for most people. This is backed up by research conducted by the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services in 2015 which found that only 5.5% of women had the option of midwife-led care available. We need to ensure that expectant mothers are comfortable and properly cared for. To do this, we need to properly resource our maternity services, especially community-based ones as called for in this motion.

We must also look at our maternity services in the context of women's healthcare as a whole. I am pleased that the motion notes the need for women to be listened to and respected. That is key. We have seen women hurt time and time again with regard to healthcare provision in this country, including with the CervicalCheck scandal, the practice of symphysiotomy, damage from vaginal mesh and a long list of other issues. I would hazard a guess that most of us in this Chamber know someone who has endometriosis, a condition that is estimated to affect one in ten women. However, several studies point to a diagnostic delay in treating endometriosis. One reason cited for this is the normalisation of the symptoms and the diminishment of the pain felt. This and the other issues in women's healthcare are symptomatic of a wider problem, wherein women's voices, choices and experiences are all too often overlooked, undervalued or wilfully ignored. It is a harder task but if we want to ensure that women are truly at the centre of maternity care, we need to listen carefully to the experiences of women and enact care guidelines that take women's voices seriously.

One thing which is not explicitly outlined in this motion which needs to be addressed is the challenge facing migrant women within our maternity services. According to the second report of the confidential maternal death inquiry, women born outside of Ireland accounted for 39% of all maternal deaths between 2009 and 2012 despite this demographic only accounting for 24% of all women giving birth. We need to ensure that there is true equity of service for all women in maternity care. It is particularly important that this motion calls for timeframes for implementation of funding, resourcing and strategies. A recurring theme across the health service is that consultations are held and strategies are drafted but no timelines are stipulated and no funding streams are identified. We know what staffing we need. We often know what the challenges are. We now need action from Government. This is not particular to maternity care. It is in mental health care, primary healthcare and emergency healthcare, across the board. We do not need more documents on shelves gathering dust. We need resources on the ground.

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