Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This matter speaks for itself. There was a lot of talk about this area well in advance of last year's referendum to remove the prohibition on abortion. A working group has been set up by the Minister to see how we will go about providing contraception to women in this country. A public consultation was also launched and is closing on 5 August. I urge the public to partake in that and to give their feedback. That is a prudent way to do business, when making policy, but there is an urgency that needs to be observed.

During the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, there was little public discussion of the ancillary recommendations which, to my mind, are extremely important, namely, sex education and contraception, which are fundamental to preventing unwanted pregnancies. That is the crux of this issue, as far as I am concerned. It comes to a point where we have to accept that we have heard all the expert evidence. The Minister has indicated that this is his intention. The October budget is looming. I sincerely hope that, once the public consultation has concluded, the Minister would hear from the working group he has set up in very early course, so this matter can be seriously considered for this budget and for implementation in January.

We cannot have a health service in which termination services are provided freely and contraceptives are not. This goes to the crux of a progressive health system. LARCs, long acting reversible contraceptives, such as coils and implants, are the most effective method of preventing unintended pregnancy and have a high satisfaction rating. A contraceptive programme which excludes LARCs may incentivise women to opt for less effective methods, such as condoms or oral contraceptives. This exposes them to an increased risk of unintended pregnancy. The availability of a wide range of methods is important because each woman's medical history and risk factors are unique and there is no one-size-fits-all contraceptive method that works for everyone. Furthermore, women's contraceptive needs change throughout their lives and there needs to be that adaptability in the system.

It is complicated enough but we are in danger of over-complicating it. This is something that needs to happen. If we are serious about gender equality, access to contraception is fundamental to women's empowerment. Political commitments were made in this area and I would like to see them realised in this budget. I look forward to hearing from the Minister of State.