Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not intend to speak for long. I want to ask the Minister a few questions around the use of the word "serious" in section 9 and the words "serious harm" in section 10.How is "serious harm" defined in the guidelines? Can the Minister answer that? Must the predicted harm be permanent? Must the harm have materialised or is it enough that it is predicted? Will a small risk of serious harm suffice? Where does small become larger and larger? Must the harm be caused by the pregnancy or is it enough that it has been exacerbated by the pregnancy? Are there agreed examples of conditions or circumstances that would be at the borderline of serious harm and that might, therefore, be excluded? Is this ground confined to cases where a risk to health is expected to become a risk to life if the pregnancy continues?

The guidelines of the World Health Organization state that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. How does that marry with seriousness? In assessing the seriousness of the harm, will a woman's social and familial circumstances, as mentioned earlier by Senator Ruane, be considered rather than merely the narrower circumstances? Will these be taken into account? Perhaps the Minister could answer some of these questions. I have heard many long sentences but I am not getting many specific answers.