Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. As he noted, I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Health. I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. As the Senator is aware, the Minister for Health commenced the review of the operation of the Act in line with statutory and Government commitments at the end of 2021.

The review was based on wide-ranging independent research and comprised two phases. The first phase was an evidence- and information-gathering exercise which consisted of a public consultation, as well as research into the operation of the Act from the perspectives of service users and service providers. The public consultation provided organisations, stakeholders, advocacy groups working in the area and all other interested parties with the opportunity to have their say on the operation of the legislation. Nearly 7,000 submissions were received as part of the process. Research to inform the service user strand was carried out by Dr. Catherine Conlon, who has completed a large qualitative study investigating unplanned pregnancy and abortion care. This study, commissioned by the HSE’s sexual health and crisis pregnancy programme in September 2019, has generated an in-depth understanding of the experiences of women who have accessed abortion care services since the commencement of the Act. The study was published by the HSE on 12 July 2022. Research into the views and experiences of termination of pregnancy service providers was carried out following a tendering process by Manchester Metropolitan University. The second phase of the review was led by an independent chair, Ms Marie O’Shea BL, who assessed the extent to which the objectives of the 2018 Act have been achieved, analysing in that regard the findings of the three strands of information from the first phase. The chair also drew on the findings of other relevant peer-reviewed research and consulted further with stakeholders as necessary before providing conclusions.

The final report of the review was submitted to the Minister for Health on 28 February 2023. The report makes a range of recommendations, most of which are operational in nature, with some proposing legislative change. The report was considered by the Cabinet on 25 April. The Government agreed that the HSE will establish an implementation group to progress the operational recommendations. As regards the proposed legislative changes, it was recognised that they will require careful contemplation and discussion to ensure they secure as broad a support base as possible. Therefore, the Minister for Health, with the approval of the Government, has referred them for consideration and report by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. Given the committee’s cross-party composition and oversight role in respect of the health service, it represents an effective and appropriate forum to consider the changes proposed.