Results 2,161-2,180 of 6,596 for speaker:Ruth Coppinger

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Business of Joint Committee (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Can the witnesses be allowed to sit over there and the members of the committee sit down here? I ask because I think there has been some interaction between people sitting there and the witnesses. Such a seating arrangement would be better for the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: I thank the delegates for their presentations. I will begin with Professor Arulkumaran. Unfortunately, we are coming up to the fifth anniversary of Savita's death. There are still people who claim that her death had nothing to do with the law but rather with mismanagement in the particular hospital. I want to nail that one right now. In the recommendations made in Professor Arulkumaran's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: At the time Professor Arulkumaran recommended that the Oireachtas consider the law, including any necessary constitutional change. That was one of his recommendations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Is he very disappointed or surprised that it has taken five years since the death of Savita for the Oireachtas to act?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Is Professor Arulkumaran surprised that it has taken five years for the Oireachtas to even discuss the issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Professor Arulkumaran states in his presentation that we could formulate a list of conditions, but that it would never be able to cover all health conditions which may arise. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Professor Arulkumaran is probably aware that the Citizens' Assembly insisted on risk rather than substantial risk being considered. It was the citizens participating in the assembly who did not want the words "substantial" or "real" being included. Does he think that would be wise and that risk alone should be the basis of any health-based ground for abortion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: By "the women of Ireland" Professor Arulkumaran means the 4,800 women whom he says are leaving the country and the further 20% whom he says are taking medical abortion pills which they source online. We heard evidence on this matter last week which included a study which had been carried out. What is his opinion on legislation which does not cater for those women whose health is not at risk...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: I would also like to ask Dr. Boylan a few questions. He has spoken about the genie being out of the bottle because pregnant women can access abortion pills on the Internet and also find out quite a lot about them. It is not like 1983. What percentage of abortions would be covered by the 12-week period recommended by the Citizens' Assembly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: In Dr. Boylan's view, would that be the best way? He mentioned legislation that he has looked at, without citing any particular country, where it is at a woman's request in the first trimester. Would that be the best basis for abortion legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Why does Dr. Boylan say honest?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Has Dr. Boylan any experience of women who are denied an abortion deciding not to have one? In other words, is this is going to continue, whether legal or illegal? Would that be his view?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: My last question is on late-term abortions which have come up a lot at this committee. Indeed, they have come up a lot in Ireland generally, with images being used by anti-abortion groups. How frequent are these post-23 week abortions? What percentage of the overall abortion rate do they represent and for what reasons would they be carried out at that very late stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Finally, something was said earlier about babies being left to die and that phrase has been used here before. References were also made to injections into the heart and so forth. Could Professor Arulkumaran clarify that he was referring to parents who are experiencing fatal foetal abnormality or some other situation where the prognosis is that life is not possible?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Health, Including Physical Health, of Pregnant Women: Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Meabh Ní Bhuinneáin (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: The phrase "babies left to die" would be quite offensive and insulting in those circumstances.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Options for Constitutional Change (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Options for Constitutional Change (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: Chair, members, such as Deputy Clare Daly, have their hands up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Options for Constitutional Change (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: We have Senator Ruane. It is just there is a-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Options for Constitutional Change (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: It seems some people do not have to put up their hands. They flit in and out and then get to make a speech if somebody mentions them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Options for Constitutional Change (18 Oct 2017)

Ruth Coppinger: I have not flitted out.