Holly Cairns demands change to stop forced travel for care

Ceann Comhairle, at the outset I want to acknowledge the passing of Councillor Joe Carroll on Friday. He was an exceptionally helpful and supportive towards me when I first entered into politics. That's the kind of person he was and the kind of person that will be missed in Skibreen and beyond. And my thoughts are with Sheila and Linda and Ciarán and Anna. Taoiseach, eight years ago Ireland voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment, to take abortion access out of the Constitution and into the hands of the legislators in this House. It was the culmination of decades of campaigning by committed activists all across the country. Many people across this House, including yourself, were part of that referendum campaign. I know from my experience in West Cork canvassing the stories from women late on in pregnancy who were forced to travel abroad to have terminations for medical reasons were the stories that stuck in people's minds and hearts the most. Women who in the midst of grief and trauma chose to speak publicly to share deeply personal experiences. They spoke about receiving devastating diagnoses. They spoke about being told they could not receive care in their country. They spoke about the loneliness of travelling, leaving behind their families, their support networks, their homes at one of the most painful moments in their life. And they spoke about stigma and shame where there should have been compassion and care. They told their stories for a simple reason, so that what happened to them would not happen again. Eight years ago, Ireland listened to those women and voted to repeal the Eighth. Three years ago, the Maria O'Shea report was published, a report which was baked into the initial legislation and commissioned by your government. This report found that the law is not working as it should. It recommended clear practical changes, removing the mandatory three-day waiting period, ending the criminalisation of doctors and providing clarity so that women facing fatal foetal diagnoses can access care here at home. But since then, little has changed. Every year, approximately 240 women are still forced to travel to the UK to access abortion care. Many of those women are travelling because they've received a devastating diagnosis, often after their 20-week scan, like Denise Whitmore, whose story I raised with you a few weeks ago. Taoiseach, we can't ask women to share their stories over and over again and not take action. We cannot stand over a system that continues to send women abroad at their most vulnerable moment. Eight years ago, the public voted for compassionate approaches to abortion care. Three years ago, the report was published. Today, I'm introducing a gap to close the windows of this legislation. First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The government is committed to ensuring that there is safe and equitable access to termination of pregnancy services. Significant steps have been taken in this regard, including the expansion of hospital services, the introduction of safe access zones, and the continuation of the revised model of care for termination in early pregnancy. These measures have substantially reduced barriers and have increased access to services for those who need it. Given that there is a broad spectrum of sincerely held opinion on the issue of legislative change, proposals in this regard do require careful consideration. There was a referendum, as you said, on the 8th Amendment. Termination of pregnancy services came into operation on January 1, 2019. And as you say, a review of the Act was completed in 2023. Significant progress has been made in relation to implementing the operational recommendations arising from the review. Termination services in early pregnancy up to 12 weeks are now provided in all 19 maternity hospitals. That wasn't the position some years ago. There has also been a sustained increase in community providers, which currently stands at 491. Furthermore, the revised model of care introduced in response to the COVID pandemic is approved as the enduring model of care. It is possible now for one of the two consultations required for termination in early pregnancy to take place remotely. You are aware of the safe access zones legislation coming into account. Overall, the Health Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 is consistent with commitments given to the Irish people prior to the repeal of the 8th Amendment. That said, there is a broad range of sincerely held opinion on the issue of legislative changes to that Act. It is important that all voices are heard, that we have a respectful debate and discussion on this, that we listen to each other with a view to achieving the maximum consensus possible before proceeding with change. I think your legislation will give an opportunity for that to happen in the House. I have spoken to the Minister in respect of this, and the Minister will engage constructively with the legislation that you will be bringing into the House for date. Ultimately, you will be calling for ministerial guidelines in your legislation to guide clinicians in respect of fatal fetal abnormality, which is an issue in the context of some of those who are travelling out of the country to have terminations. Not all cases. Then there is the three-day wait and other issues that are in the legislation which do need to be discussed. If we learned anything from the referendum, it was that there was very sustained discussion here in the House on that committee level, which facilitated what subsequently happened. I appreciate your engagement on the issue and the Minister for Health, and that you have spoken to her on this. It sounds like the Government is willing to constructively engage, and I think that is really important given the trauma that so many people are still going through. What I would appeal to people on all sides of the House today is to please allow this to second stage, to at least allow it to be debated. I think there is an argument that is often made in this House and beyond that because we voted on particular legislation that it simply can't be changed, that that is what the public voted on. I just don't think that that argument stands up to scrutiny. The voting public know legislation does change, can be improved, and it is our job to do that. Our view is baked into the legislation too, and the public voted on that. I thank you for your cooperation, and I will just ask again if you will be supporting the passage of the Bill. Thank you, Deputy. Taoiseach, please. On this side of the House, as you know, it is a vote of conscience on matters of this nature. In life and death matters, it is a vote of conscience, so we will examine the legislation. There will be debate around that area of fetal abnormality. There was significant debate around that at committee stage in advance of the referendum and indeed during the referendum itself. I think there is a desire in many people that we have to maintain faith with the amendment and the debate around the changes that occurred and that were debated during the referendum itself. I think everyone facilitates debate in the House, at least should, from first stage into second stage. I think we should allow people to examine the Bill in detail and come to their positions on it.