Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I lend my support to the motion and I commend my Green Party Seanad colleagues for bringing it forward. The programme for Government commitment is to expand access to free contraception to those aged between 17 and 25 as a starting point. This is €20 million that will be very well spent. I was at university in Queens in Belfast 20 years ago. We were entitled to GP access and prescriptions, including contraception. The hook to us at the time was free contraception. We were not living at home and just starting out being independent. That was the initial reaction but then, of course, we totally recognised it was a social support and something we were really supportive of.

It is bigger than this as it helped us develop a relationship with healthcare. It was a relationship with healthcare that was mine for the first time at that age, not coming through my family GP or through my parents' pockets. I had a job but going to the GP is expensive. Prescriptions are expensive. It empowered me to take responsibility for my own healthcare. It is independent entry-level healthcare. How often do most 17 to 25-year-olds have to go to the doctor? This is a very important touch point in their lives about their sexual and general health. It is something that stands the test of time. No matter what happened me then, if I had to engage in healthcare, particularly when I was having a smear test and having my children, it really helped with being confident in how I engaged with the healthcare system.

We speak about the barriers of cost, embarrassment, inconvenience, lack of knowledge and local access.All those things are bang on. Breaking down those barriers in general for health, however, is also important. It states in the report that, "contraception use in Ireland is high and stable and difficulty accessing contraception is only a challenge at the margins", in the overall population. Then, however, one sees the Dublin Well Woman Centre research which found that 51% of women aged 17 to 45 had sex without contraception. We need to focus on that and we must work to it. Frankly, women need this support at a universal level. We must find ways to help women to be proactive and not reactive about their health.

I want to echo the words of Senators O'Reilly and Clifford-Lee on contraception and choices around contraception. There is no one-size-fits-all approach or method. It does not just take one visit to the GP and then it is all sorted. A person may have had to go back to the GP throughout the duration of their life or depending on their life stage. Perhaps, a person's initial contraception method will not work for them; it depends on their lifestyle. We need to empower women to be able to visit their GP, discuss the issues and find the contraception that is absolutely right for them. All methods should be available.

I know the Department will talk about finalising its approach or legislative proposals and ensuring the implementation of service delivery and so forth. I believe, however, we need to prioritise this and get on with it. We must look at a better education, continue to break down the barriers and taboos around contraception and deliver basic women's health.