Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleagues in expressing horror at the alleged dangerous or illegal advice provided by certain pregnancy counselling organisations in this country. As a woman, it is horrific to think women are being advised to withhold information from their general practitioners, who would find it difficult to advise their patients properly without full information. The journalist concerned should be commended for posing questions which are both legitimate and in the public interest. Have the counsellors who face these allegations been suspended while an inquiry is ongoing? Is the inquiry being properly conducted? Perhaps the HSE should come before the Joint Committee on Health and Children. The Minister for Health or the Minister for Justice and Equality should certainly come before the Seanad to discuss the issues arising. Whatever side of the argument an individual may take when it comes to life, this matter pertains to the overall health of women.