Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Considerable attention has been given recently by the Oireachtas and the media to the ways in which the State has failed the women of Ireland. From that litany of failures, two examples include the suffering of women as a result of inadequacies in the provision of healthcare, such as the continuing CervicalCheck controversy, and the failure of this State to prevent the abuse of women in mother and baby homes.

On the issue of maternity care, I would like to know from the Minister of Health what concrete progress has been made under the national maternity strategy for the period from 2016 to 2026 to ensure that Ireland has the best and safest maternity services and best supports for women and babies in the world. In particular, I would like the Minister to tell the House whether all women in need of specialised maternity care are currently receiving that necessary care.

I will highlight another matter regarding maternity care which was raised in the other House. This concerns the effective seizure management drug, sodium valproate, also known as Epilim. It is suitable for use by many people with epilepsy but if it is taken by pregnant women, the result can be babies having significant developmental issues, namely, a 10% chance of a physical deformity or a 40% chance of a neurological disorder. Some 1,600 women in Ireland between the ages of 16 and 45 years are taking this drug for epilepsy. Alarmingly, awareness of this real risk is still too low. Studies show that nearly 33% of these women are unaware that when taken in pregnancy the drug can cause learning and developmental problems, with 17% unaware that the drug can result in serious birth defects. The HSE estimates that 1,250 children were impacted by this drug in this way between 1975 and 2015. That is 1,250 children too many. To protect women, the drug must now only be issued by a specialist and its use must be accompanied by a pregnancy prevention programme and the signing of an annual risk acknowledgement form to drive ongoing awareness. A study by Epilepsy Ireland showed that not even 30% of women taking this drug had heard of this mandatory pregnancy prevention programme and only 22% had been asked by their healthcare professional to sign the annual risk acknowledgement form to maintain awareness.

It is important, therefore, that we ask the Minister what is being done to address this urgent and serious risk being posed to these women and babies. Regrettably, the systemic failures of this State in addressing issues facing women continues to this day. As long as those failures continue, it is important for us women to continue to talk about them inside and outside this House. I will continue to do so tirelessly.