Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also wish to raise the unfortunate situation that has transpired n Galway. I would like to say one thing in regard to the medical profession. This is not a matter of the failure of the medical profession, it is a matter of the failure of the Legislature. It is unfair to blame the members of the medical profession for the position in which they have been put by the failure of successive Governments to legislate for something that has been on the books of this country for a long period of time.

The newspaper reportage has raised some valid questions about what happened in this case. The first point is that we would all feel a sympathy towards the lady and her family for what has happened. However, it is important to note that Ireland is one of the safest countries in the world in which to give birth. The fact remain however that for every 50,000 Irish women who give birth every year a further 14,000 Irish women miscarry. This is a very serious matter for a very significant proportion of the Irish population. Pregnancy is a time of great joy but it is also a time of great fear. This case has highlighted the vulnerability of Irish women who experience difficulties in the course of their pregnancy.

For the lady in question, it would appear that miscarriage was inevitable. She was fully dilated. I understand she was a dentist so when she asked for a medical termination, I assume she had some notion of what she was requesting. The fact that the family was told this was a Catholic country is something about which we should all be concerned.

Some valid questions have been raised and as Senator Norris noted in particular, there are rights that all pregnant women should have. One of these is the right to a second opinion, particularly for women depending on the public health system in this country who cannot vote with their wallets.