Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

The Minister is very welcome. I thank everyone for raising the issue of breast density. I particularly thank Senator Costello. She is such a strong advocate for those with breast cancer. We really thank her for that. I have learned a great deal just from listening to her. I am delighted Deputy Carroll MacNeill is the Minister for Health. She is very proactive. I am delighted that we can make statements on breast cancer today.

Exactly two weeks ago, I hosted an event in the audiovisual room addressing the topic of dense breasts. It is very reassuring to hear so many people bring the issue up today. Like so many other Senators, I had no idea about dense breasts until I was approached by two women in my area. The event was attended by many Senators and TDs. We heard testimonies from Siobhán Freeney, a survivor of breast cancer, and Martha Lovett Cullen, whose mother, Marian, died from breast cancer less than a year ago. Along with dozens of other women who stood outside Leinster House last year, Siobhán and Marian, whom I spoke to before and after the event, had something in common. All had received clear mammograms and assumed this meant they were clear of breast cancer. In fact, all that these clear mammograms had indicated was that cancer had not been detected. Six months after her clear mammogram, Siobhán received a diagnosis of stage 3 invasive cancer. Some 12 months after she received her clear mammogram, Marian received the devastating news that she had stage 4 terminal cancer. A year later, she was dead. I will read out a latter from Marian's daughter, Martha, who spoke at our briefing in the audiovisual room last week.She wanted me to read this out today:

To the Members of [the Oireachtas], My name is Martha Lovett Cullen, and I lost my mum, Marian Lovett, to stage 4 metastatic breast cancer last August.

She was 61.

She was a mother, a writer, a researcher, and a feminist.

She spent her life fighting for justice and if she were still here, she would be the one writing this. But she isn’t. So I’m doing it for her.

My mum went to every BreastCheck appointment.

She trusted the system.

In August 2022, she received a letter saying her mammogram was clear.

One year later, in October 2023, she was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer - the same week she was finally told that she had dense breast tissue.

Information that had been visible on her mammograms all along.

Information that was never disclosed to her.

Dense breast tissue significantly increases your risk of breast cancer and makes it harder to detect on a mammogram.

It is one of the most important pieces of information a woman can receive after a scan. My mum never got that chance.

She died asking, "why was this allowed to happen?" She should still be alive today. And my family and I will never stop asking the question: what if she had been told sooner? If she had known her risk, she might still be here.

That's the reality. As of today, June 9th, the petition I started calling for mandatory breast density notification has reached 9,639 signatures and is fast approaching 10,000.

That's not just a number. That's a message from the women, families, and people of Ireland: this matters.

We are waking up to this silent failure in our screening system, and we are demanding better. Once we hit 10,000, you will have no choice but to listen, because we will not be silent. We are not asking for the impossible.

We are asking for a single, crucial line in a results letter.

A line that tells women their breast density. A line that gives them knowledge.

A line that could save their lives. Ireland is behind. Other countries already notify women of their breast density such as the US, Canada, Australia, parts of Europe.

Why not here? Why not now? And ask yourself this - what if it was your mother?

Your daughter? Your sister? What if it was you?

Wouldn't you want to know? [We] have the chance to act before more women are failed like my mother was. Before more families are left grieving.

Before more lives are needlessly lost.

Please don't let this opportunity to do the right thing pass [us]. Signed, Martha Lovett Cullen

I say to the Department that this is the most important thing we can do, as almost 50% of women have dense breasts, 10% have extremely dense and 40% have heterogeneously dense. Dense breast material shows up on a mammogram as being white. Cancer or potentially cancerous material also shows up as being white. Up to 50% of cancers in women with dense breasts may be missed. Breast density not only potentially masks cancers but is also a significant risk factor in the development of cancer. Every woman deserves to know what her level of breast density is and what the consequence of that is. That is why there must be mandatory reporting. I ask the Minister to introduce a mandatory reporting Bill on breast density or else allow a backbencher in the Government to maybe do the same.