Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak to amendment No. 6. We have suggested deleting the word "serious". The Minister will know that witness after witness at the Oireachtas committee told us that we cannot grade risk. Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Rhona Mahony, among many others, stated as much on the record of the committee. My colleagues, including Deputy Louise O'Reilly and Jonathan O'Brien, were clear on this point. We asked the question not only once but several times. We are disappointed that the word "serious" is included. We heard at length the challenges of fixing risk in legislation. We accepted that the assessment of risk is best considered in a clinical setting and not defined in legislation as either "serious" or "severe". The provision should be amended to better support the clinical judgments of medical practitioners.

When medical professionals see or hear the words "serious" in the context of the legal parameters in which they can carry out an abortion, they will immediately question what it means regarding the person in front of them. A doctor wondering how serious something is could mean he or she cannot concentrate on the woman's health as he or she must also worry about the potential legal sanction.

This is a crucial measure to protect women's health. As we heard throughout the campaign, we need to trust women and we also need to allow doctors to be able to do their job rather than tie their hands when it comes to ensuring the safety for our women. I appeal to the Minister to give serious consideration to the amendment.