Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin welcomes this plan, which recognises women's health in its own right at long last. All too often, women do not feel listened to when it comes to our health and our real concerns can be minimalised or dismissed. We have all heard of the anxiety that turns out to be heart disease or the normal period pain that ends up being endometriosis. We suffer from a gender gap in medical science and research as well.

I welcome this plan, but there are a few areas in which we could go a little further. I am concerned that, while Viagra is reimbursed on the drugs payment scheme and the medical card, the drug to help women with hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy is not. I suffered from it myself, so I know how it wipes you out when you are pregnant. I know of many women in my constituency of Kildare North who are looking for Cariban. While I recognise from replies to parliamentary questions that the supplier has not engaged in the process to make it available for reimbursement, I ask that the Minister engage with the supplier. There needs to be reimbursement.

In my day, which was a while ago, we all read the book What to Expect When You're Expecting. In terms of postnatal depression, though, what new mothers need to read is a book that would be called "What to Expect When You're Not Expecting Anymore". I would like to see much more attention being given to the postnatal depression that haunts the lives of many women and families, sometimes with devastating consequences. As women, we buy into the lie that childbirth is great and easy when it is often the case that the loss of control, the fear, the trauma and so on are hell. We need to listen to women who have just given birth and are struggling and exhausted.

I welcome the added attention to breastfeeding. We need to be shouting from the rooftops about how convenient it is once women get support from the start. I cannot speak about breastfeeding without saying that Ireland needs to take an ethical look at the exporting of baby formula to countries where breastfeeding is the norm. The line is "Breast is best", and it is certainly is. It is also more important than bottom lines.

I welcome the plan. We still have a way to go, but it is a step in the right direction.

I have a Bill on bereavement leave that is going through the legislative process. I introduced it with Deputy O'Reilly. I welcome that the North managed to introduce bereavement leave. Our Bill is worth a mention.

See this speech in context