Malcolm Noonan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus déanaim comhghairdeas léi. Ócáid thábhachtach is ea Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan. Tá sé níos tábhachtaí ná riamh de bharr go bhfuil an bonn á bhaint de chearta ban agus cailíní in an-chuid tíortha, bíodh sin i réimse an oideachais, fostaíochta nó in ábhair ghnéis. Tá ról suntasach againn i leith shábháilteacht na hÉireann mar thír ina gcuirtear rogha leathan deiseanna ar fáil do chailíní óga agus iad ag teacht in inmhe.

International Women’s Day is an important event and growing in importance as the education, employment and reproductive rights of women and girls in many countries continue to be undermined. We have a strong role as legislators to ensure Ireland is a safe country full of opportunity for young girls growing up.

I acknowledge the significant progress made during the previous Dáil and, in particular, the work done in the Seanad by colleagues, including my former colleague, Pauline O’Reilly, on issues such as the free contraception scheme, specialist clinics, menopause care, endometriosis centres, publicly funded fertility treatments and HRT, which we all appeal be progressed. There were also the safe access zones in terms of termination of pregnancy.

As for further improvements, the promised national maternity hospital must be progressed and delivered as a Government priority. The promise to provide a comprehensive women’s health programme in general practice advice on contraception, STIs, menopause, fertility and so on must be followed through. We need to go further than merely developing a plan of making free period products accessible in more locations. We need to expand the eligibility of State-funded IVF as promised, building on the success of the initial roll-out by the previous Government. We need to fully implement the recommendations contained in Ms Marie O’Shea’s statutory review of the termination of pregnancy Act.

I pay tribute to the women in developing countries who are fighting for reproductive rights against a tide of far-right activism. I pay tribute to those women’s grassroots movements. Cuts in development aid from the UK and US will seriously undermine this and be potentially devastating to the lives of women and girls in terms of their reproductive rights. It is a whole-of-government issue and important to raise today.