Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I draw attention to the recent announcement by the United Kingdom Government that the country will end telemedicine abortions by autumn, a decision we should follow. The UK provision was first introduced in March 2020 by the British Government as a temporary Covid-19 response. When our then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, followed suit in early 2020, modelling the system on the UK decisions, we were also told this would be a temporary measure. Covid-19 restrictions are increasingly being lifted and our nearest neighbours have taken steps to end telemedicine abortions. The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, should now do the same.

On health and safety grounds alone, the case for ending telemedicine abortions is overwhelming. Mounting evidence demonstrates that telemedicine abortions have many risks and dangers. In England, emergency ambulance responses to complications relating to abortions have spiked since telemedicine was introduced. In London specifically, monthly ambulance dispatches dealing with abortion pill-related complications have doubled since telemedicine was introduced. Research released in November 2021 reveals more than 10,000 women had received hospital treatment following an at-home use of abortion pills between April 2020 and September 2021.That is shocking. Unfortunately, we are forced to rely on data from the UK as neither the HSE nor the Department of Health have conducted any research in Ireland on the impact of telemedicine abortions. Instead, they have relied solely on literature from the UK. This was a shocking oversight on their part which has endangered the lives of Irish women. It is sufficient to say that, if these cases can happen in the UK, they can also happen in Ireland.

Telemedicine abortion separates a woman from her doctor and this system is more open to abuse than a system based on face-to-face consultation through, for example, coercion from a partner. Additionally, a woman cannot receive an in-person examination from her doctor, making it impossible to verify her gestational stage, which raises questions of legality under the 2018 Act. There is overwhelming evidence pointing in a clear direction. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, needs to address this issue without hesitation and to take immediate steps to end telemedicine abortions here.