Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion forward and I welcome everyone in the Gallery.

Here we go again. At what stage will we provide women with the support, healthcare, care and attention that they deserve? We are in a situation where we are failing a generation of women all over again. One in ten women suffer from endo. We are sending them overseas. We are ignoring their symptoms, their pain and their trauma. We are telling them it is in their heads, to suck it up, to take some aspirin and to go home and continue with their lives but that is just not possible. Probably the worst part is that women are not being believed and are being ignored when they go to their GPs in crippling pain. I cannot believe we have not learned yet and as a society or country we have not taken on board all the previous times when we have failed women. Here we are doing it again.

A constituent sent me an email and I think it would far outweigh any speech I could give tonight:

To date, endometriosis has cost me [where I could see] having a family of my own, I may never be a mother despite best efforts and emotional, financial and physical stress through self funded IVF for many years now.

Endometriosis has cost me days and days off from my job. Luckily I have a good employer and I can work from home.... I really feel for those that have jobs that will not allow for this crippling disease.

I have been ignored and pushed aside for so many years. I pleaded with consultants to believe that I was in crippling pain for 10 days [every] 21 days cycle. I had 11 days respite if I was lucky to feel normal. I advocated for myself, I self diagnosed myself, I urged a consultant to listen to me and get a treatment plan in place.

I have lost an ovary, the disease destroyed my ovary. The disease also nearly took away my Bowel. I now live in fear this disease will take this in the near future.

Endometriosis has taken away, and cost me too much. I can’t attend classes I’ve signed up to, I can’t attend birthday parties, weddings and family gatherings a lot of the time.

I had to tell “I told you so” when the consultant debriefed me after my surgery to tell me, how scary the surgery was for me and how badly ravaged my insides were.

I look normal and healthy from the outside. I vomit with the severe pain before I join work calls and spend time presenting to my colleagues. I have chronic fatigue, migraines and these are my day to day.

Imagine not being able to go to the Dáil tomorrow because you have a flare up, you're bleeding so heavily, you can't stand straight due to pain and nausea? Imagine not doing a school run, having a child’s birthday party. Imagine a consultant not believing you when the equivalent pain of a ravaged ovary is being stabbed. Imagine being in so much pain, you can’t stand and you won’t go to A&E because they won’t believe you or just say, it’s [just your] period. I’m in this position now because for years and years, we’ve been told , there is nothing wrong with us and our disease has festered.

[...]

Fertility and endometriosis, have taken away joy, hope, love and much more. Ireland has also not had my back with zero support.

Please be a government who finally take action and believe us, get behind us, empower us and investment in to centre and expertise.

Please don’t let us down ...

See this speech in context