David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

How very kind of the Cathaoirleach. I greatly appreciate it. I pay tribute to my good friend and colleague, Senator Bacik. She has been involved in issues of human rights over many years. She has been particularly involved in women's rights, although not exclusively. There is nothing narrow about Ivana. I am very glad the Bill has been accepted by Government. It is a very positive move and shows the way in which Seanad Éireann, and the Oireachtas generally, can collaborate with Government. Several of my close friends have endured this situation, which is extraordinarily traumatic. As a man, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be pregnant for several months and to look forward to this joyful occasion only to find that, at the end, there is a dead baby. It must be really shocking.

The Bill is important in the context of the Irish culture. We talk so often about cherishing the children of the nation equally. This is an opportunity for us to do so. It has already been stated, possibly by Senator Bacik, that 14,000 women in Ireland have a miscarriage every year. That is a very large number and should give us pause for thought. I believe it was on 21 March 2021 that the New Zealand Parliament passed legislation allowing paid bereavement leave for workers who miscarry a pregnancy. Who can deny that a miscarriage is a bereavement? Of course it is.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, has publicly welcomed the publication of the Bill. As Senator Bacik has acknowledged, the Bill itself, to a certain extent, stems from the prodding of the INTO. We in this House have cause to remember with great affection and respect Joe O'Toole, who was head of the INTO for some years.

It is also important to hear the human voice behind these matters. I have selected a couple of letters from women who have been affected by this issue. The first says:

During IVF treatment I travelled to Dublin leaving at 5am to have early appointment so that I would be back in work for 10am. Thankfully I was lucky but the huge amount of unnecessary stress I put on myself, in hindsight, was ridiculous.

It is appalling that someone had to get up at 5 a.m. to travel to Dublin. The next letter says:

I didn’t want to take school days but when you’re dealing with fertility it becomes cycle dependent. In the end I had to tell my principal because I couldn’t deal with the stress and stress just makes the situation worse.

A third letter reads:

I do not have a permanent job and would feel that telling my principal that I was going for fertility treatment would stand against me in any future job interviews. I find this quite stressful as I would much rather be upfront about why I need the time off.

I had to go to the UK for an operation because there was no expert in Ireland to operate on me. I had to be off work longer to recover but I had to go back sooner than I wished because I couldn’t afford to go unpaid anymore.

Could there be a better illustration of the absolute necessity for financial support for women in this situation? The final extract I will read says:

I’m so worried about using a lot of sick days with my IVF. Its already a nightmare to have to go through IVF. This is adding to it. I will be waiting until July to try another round of it as afraid of sick days, but my husband worried we are letting precious months slip by.

That is the thing; one is fighting against the clock. I commend Senator Bacik on introducing this very important legislation. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his courtesy.