Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is much in the Minister's speech that I welcome, including the focus on women being heard. That has come across again and again. Where endometriosis is concerned, our services are very far behind because there is a need for a culture shift in them. There is also the question of having a voice and choice in respect of maternal health. There is huge pressure on older women to have inductions, and the pressure around inductions in maternal health is an issue. The question of when women get listened to persists because we have a long legacy of women not being listened to, in particular when it comes to issues of their reproductive health. As others have said, that is amplified for those who come from a minority community or do not speak English as a first language. A huge cultural shift is needed. Regarding the National Maternity Hospital, I have always been clear on preferring that it be fully publicly owned but what will be vital is that the culture there is one that is fully public and accountable.

We are marking International Women's Day. We are in a context of a huge roll back in respect of women's rights across the world. It is a very dangerous time. I will focus primarily on areas related to health. Recently, the attempts to disappear women are quite sinister. Some complain about the word "women" disappearing, but what we are actually seeing is that those who are against LGBTQ rights are happy to sacrifice women's rights even when it comes to things like visibility in health research. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation and the food and drug bodies are circulating lists of words that, if they appear in research, the research might need to be pulled. There are questions about whether the word "woman" appears on some of those lists, as well as the words "female", "bias" and "transition". Some of these are basic scientific terms. This is happening because priority has been given to attempts to trample on the rights of, for example, trans women. Of course, that leaves all other women by the wayside. There is a huge ideological issue affecting the scientific research we need in order to have good health outcomes.

The international health research world is a community. I suggest that this is an opportunity to see how Ireland can engage with some scientific researchers who find themselves silent in the United States. It may be a time for particular resources for our health institutions and universities in terms of partnering with those who find their research blocked.

Alongside this, we see cuts to the USAID's budget. A lot is made of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer being a wonderful diplomat. The cut to the UK aid budget is something that is deeply damaging to international diplomacy, alongside what has happened in the United States. It is actually mirroring what the United States is doing, bizarrely. It has a massive impact on women across the world, bearing in mind that front-line health services - women tend to be on the front line - were hit unequally in terms of Covid. They are now being hit by massive cuts. There has been a 50% cut to the aid budget of the United Nations family planning body, for example. Some 11.7 million women in Africa will have limited access to contraceptive care. These are some of the massive things that have happened this year. How will Ireland step in and how will the Minister work with our partnerships in terms of overseas aid to help bridge some of those terrifying gaps in women's health?

Some of the greatest health threats to women come from conflict. Across the world, we have seen the use of sexual violence as a weapon in war. Crucially, we have seen the devastating impact of the disregard for civilian lives. Healthcare facilities have been made a target, which is never acceptable and is a war crime. To see all of the hospitals in Gaza that have been demolished is shocking. We have all seen the reports from those who have given birth without anaesthetic by caesarean section. Some 60% of preventable maternal deaths across the world are happening in conflict zones. I would like to address that as a health and women women's rights issue. I intended to raise other issues, but I will park them for now.