Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports this legislation. People deserve unhindered access to abortion healthcare services. This is not a new issue. In fact, Sinn Féin's Senator Paul Gavan was the primary sponsor of a similar safe access zone Bill drafted in conjunction with the Together for Safety group. This Bill passed every Stage in the Seanad, but as we have seen before with other Opposition legislation, the Government has been slow in progressing it further.

I thank the Together for Safety group and progressive Senators for their advocacy and for keeping this issue on the agenda. Together for Safety contacted TDs last week in advance of this debate and I will refer to some of the words used by the group. It stated that every day that passed without the legislation would be a day that people going to medical appointments would be harassed, distressed, abused and recorded and doctors would worry about their safety and the safety and privacy of their patients and staff. The group went on to say that people just want to be left alone and that five years is long enough. This perfectly sums up this debate: people just want to be left alone.

The public voted overwhelmingly for safe abortion access in 2018 and this Bill will add to the safety that women deserve. Abortion is healthcare and no one should be subject to abuse when seeking healthcare. We have all seen the horrific imagery these so-called protesters use to abuse pregnant people. This must be put to an end. This Bill is not perfect, however, and it can be improved. I have several questions. Can the Minister clarify if an individual who gets a warning at one site can move to another site, get another warning there and then move on again? An Garda Síochána has stated the force does not have the appropriate facilities for recording these warnings and so an individual could receive multiple warnings across different locations without the Garda knowing. What guarantee can the Minister give that will stop individuals from evading the penalties for repeatedly breaching this legislation?

Sinn Féin wants breaches to be recorded properly and to be carried over to different locations.

Again, it is five years since the public voted for these services but there are still issues with access. The independent review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 highlighted significant geographical barriers. It highlighted the underdevelopment of regional services and barriers such as the three-day wait. We want to see these addressed in a systemic way. We need a clear plan from Government on how it intends to progress these recommendations. There needs to be real engagement with service providers. The report to which I refer set out some commonsense steps that should be taken. Services need to be mapped and the longest travel distances need to be identified. Women should be able to access the services they voted for.

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