Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

-----and disgrace that any politician would do that to staff who are going about their business. We had a referendum and not everybody voted in favour, but this is the way laws work. We vote, and take it on the chin if we do not get what we want and the laws are passed.

I am encouraged by this legislation. Unfortunately, only one in ten GP practices engage in allowing women to have abortions, as is their legal right. I am also delighted that Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe, has, as of last week, started to allow women in Galway to have abortions at the hospital. I am thrilled with that news.

We have to do an awful lot more. This Bill will give some comfort to medical staff. Counties in the midlands and the north west have some of the lowest abortion rates. That is not because women do not want abortions but because they have to go elsewhere. There are only three GPs in some counties. Sligo, Roscommon and Mayo are enormous areas of the country where people cannot get access to services. We as a country pat ourselves on the back because women no longer have to travel to England for abortions but they should not have to travel anywhere to get a medical service to which they are entitled under the law.

As the Minister and Senators Clifford-Lee and Conway said, the legislation was supposed to be brought in along with abortion. I acknowledge the volume of work that the officials in the Minister's Department have done to get the Bill to this point. There has been nothing but support in getting this legislation over the line. I am one of 12 Senators who signed legislation. I thank Senator Gavan for doing such work on a cross-party basis. Representatives of Together for Safety are in the Gallery and I thank them for all their work. That is what pushes things on. It is that kind of activism that motivates a government to take the next steps.

It is also important to mention that it is not just about the provision of abortion services. That is what we are here to talk about but as a Government, we have done many other things, one of which is the expansion of free contraception schemes. That was something we also put into the programme for Government and the Minister has taken the steps to provide that money. We now have a situation where people can get abortions and we have ensured that cost is not a barrier to contraception. That is massively important. I know it was a recommendation that when abortion is introduced, follow-up care should be assured so that people do not feel that contraception is a barrier for them in the future.

There has also been the elimination of VAT on period products. Some €10 million has been provided for publicly-funded IVF treatment. VAT has been taken off HRT for menopause, which, as the Minister knows, is a topic I am enormously passionate about because women of all ages need treatment. I also believe it would cost very little to provide free HRT so I will keep pushing on that and I hope I will have success in that regard. Of course, there has also been phased expansion of the complex endometriosis service in Cork. Almost €1 million has been provided to develop women's health hubs. The Government has done many other things which are too numerous to mention. Under this Government, we have seen a real dedication to women's health and long may it continue.