Results 1-9 of 9 for mother and baby homes speaker:Kate O'Connell

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Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Second Stage (4 Oct 2018)

Kate O'Connell: ...it meant so much each time it was said. It is a long road that has no turning. There are many people in here who never thought we would get here. We are on the cusp of legislating for free, safe and legal bodily autonomy and healthcare that puts women at its centre, not at the margins like a forgotten and irrelevant host. Along the journey to today there have been moments that shook...

Referendum of 25 May: Statements (Resumed) (31 May 2018)

Kate O'Connell: I thank the Irish people for the resounding "Yes" vote they cast as a nation on Friday last. We have come so far since 1983, when the pulpit ruled and we were subjected to the threats and fearmongering of a vengeful creed. Looking back now, it is hard to imagine that Ireland back then was very different from the modern, globalised and informed country we have today. An information deficit...

An Bille um an Séú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht 2018: An Dara Céim - Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018: Second Stage (9 Mar 2018)

Kate O'Connell: Last week in this country we experienced an act of God. I refer to Storm Emma. We had four days of bitter ice, cold and snow. Who did that weather and that act of God leave out in the cold, both figuratively and literally? Women again, as it is always. Between 36 and 48 women either had to cancel expensive flights, hotel rooms and appointments in the UK or reschedule them because of an...

Third Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (Resumed) (7 Mar 2018)

Kate O'Connell: When we were children - six of us growing up in rural Ireland in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s - our mother would threaten us that she would send us to Daingean if we did not behave. We did not know what happened in Daingean, which was about ten miles from my house in the midlands, but we had heard that behind its high stone walls, terrible things happened to bold children. We did not know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Review of National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026: Discussion (21 Feb 2018)

Kate O'Connell: I thank the witnesses for all they do every day and I thank them for coming before the committee this morning. How we read this document depends on through what lens we look at it. Through the lens I am looking at it now I see the use of the word "women" and "mother" throughout the strategy. In acknowledgement of equality in Ireland, and out of respect, perhaps we could change that to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (7 Feb 2018)

Kate O'Connell: ...loss. I could hazard a guess that it will probably be September 2019 before we seek to start vaccinating. Perhaps I am wrong; perhaps it will be six months earlier. While we are on a roll here and while we have managed to reverse from 50% or 51% up to 61%, there might be an opportunity to move things on a little faster. Mr. O'Brien mentioned the ancillary or core recommendations that...

Report of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Statements (Resumed) (18 Jan 2018)

Kate O'Connell: I am going to start by reading Lorraine's story in her words. It was first published almost 20 years ago at the turn of the millennium.I was 34 when I was widowed. My husband died in an accident. I had four children, from fourteen to four years of age. It was a terrible time and I never thought I’d get through it - the older kids took it very hard. My family were a great support,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Completion of the Examination of the Report and Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly and Preparation of a Draft Report in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Joint Committee (13 Dec 2017)

Kate O'Connell: I move motion 3:That the Committee recommend that termination of pregnancy be lawful where the life or health of the woman is at risk and that a distinction should not be drawn between the physical and mental health of the woman. Provision for gestational time limits for the termination of pregnancies be guided by the best available medical evidence and be provided for in legislation –...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Maternity Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Feb 2017)

Kate O'Connell: I am sure the witnesses do not have to think too much about the last question. The statistics provided by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists indicate 36% of women attending ante-natal services in Ireland have no 20-week scan. Could the level of potential adverse events as a result of that lack of scanning be extrapolated? Perhaps the witnesses could discuss the...