Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I will start by paying tribute to a woman we only know as Isabella who died because of the rollback on abortion provision in Poland as a result of a Supreme Court judgment, a woman whose name, like Savita, we should not know. From Texas to Poland, in between and worldwide, reproductive and abortion rights are contested and that is why this Bill is so important.That is why this Bill is so important. Protests outside maternity hospitals or GP clinics are about creating a chill effect. That is the case in America where there were protests and in places like Ealing and Richmond that have safe-access zones. Despite an overwhelming repeal vote, just ten out of 19 maternity hospitals offer abortion services and just 10% of GPs. A total of 375 women still travelled for abortions in 2019. Women also travelled in 2020 and in 2021. All these issues must be addressed urgently in the repeal review. I am disappointed that the process has not yet commenced, although it is November.

I came to the House today to ask the Minister a very specific question and I want a very specific answer. This does not require legislation to pass, as the legislation has already been passed. I refer to Covid legislation and women travelling to access abortion services and being asked to have a PCR test or proof of a Covid test. When seeking terminations abroad, women are undergoing urgent, necessary and radical treatment and they should be exempt under the Covid regulations, which state that a person is exempted when returning to the State after travel to a state for an unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive medical reason. It is clear in the regulations that abortion services are exempt, yet the Minister has not made a clear statement on it, either in response to parliamentary questions or queries from organisations that help women access abortions. Those travelling for access are expected to get a private PCR test coming back to Ireland if they are not vaccinated. This has to happen within a very specific timeframe in a private clinic. In most cases, the women underwent a surgical abortion as it was after 12 weeks. This adds to the stress and the costs of what is already a very difficult situation. Why is that happening and why has the Department refused to clearly state that access to abortion is a necessary, time-sensitive medical procedure for women travelling? Could the Minister make a clear statement in this House that accessing abortion abroad is an exempted medical procedure under the Act?