Ivana Bacik (Independent)

Four brave women who themselves had been through terminations of pregnancy as a result of being pregnant with babies who were not viable and could not survive beyond birth gave harrowing and intimate accounts of the personal tragedies they had suffered from having to terminate their pregnancies in another country and the lack of compassion shown by this State. One of the women stated that it was a time of her life when the State should have put its arms around her but instead it turned its back and forced her to travel abroad for a medical procedure that should have been available in this country.

I am glad the other House has had the opportunity to debate these issues and that the Minister for Health stated that the Government will not shirk its responsibility to take action on foot of the export group report due in June or July. This year I hope we will see legislation to deal not only with the X case but also with the predicament of the many women in Ireland who find themselves in the position of the four brave women who gave presentations to all of us yesterday.