Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a question of balance here. We must make sure this is operable from a doctor's point of view. All of us or certainly those of us in favour of the legislation want to make sure it can work and provide access for women. In making sure it works for doctors, we need to make sure it works for women. That is a balance. There is a duty of care on the part of the obstetric community in terms of the continuum of care for women. Remember the women who will be in this category. This is not early pregnancy. We have dealt with that. These will be women who are very sick, are at risk of dying or are affected by a fatal foetal abnormality. They will be people who are extraordinarily well known to our health service and continuum of care is really important in that regard. What we do not want and what nobody who has spoken here wants is a situation where an obstetrician would certify but might not carry out the procedure, if the Members accept my definition of a procedure, and the women then has to find or hope there is another obstetrician in the hospital who agrees with that and will recertify. I am trying to get a balance. The balance is making sure the legitimate concerns raised by the Senators on behalf of people in the clinical community have been addressed in terms of how this operates and that there is practicality to this provision, if it goes on over a period of days. We must then balance that, however, with ensuring the duty of care to the woman in order that a woman who is very sick does not have to experience changing obstetricians on a very regular basis. I am much more satisfied after the engagement I had today that the balance is right and that it is workable but I am very happy to pick up the points made by Senators Ruane and Higgins and others.