Government ‘reflecting on the Ms Y case’

The Government is "reflecting" on the "Ms Y" case as abortion laws come up for review, Children’s Minister James Reilly has revealed.

Dr Reilly, who was minister for health when the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was brought in last year, indicated the issue of extending termination rights to rape victims would form part of that reflection.

The minister said the way controversial abortion legislation was working was being observed “very closely” by the Government as Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s spokesperson said it was coming up for review.

The comments came as Health Minister Leo Varadkar briefed Cabinet colleagues on the “Ms Y” case, where an immigrant rape victim was refused an abortion and then reluctantly agreed to a C-section.

Dr Reilly said: “We made it very clear that the Government would monitor this Act very closely and the performance under the Act.

“The Act is only in for nine months so we do need to give some time to study how it is being operated and see how it could be improved in terms of many of the conditions that relate around that.

“Let’s have a look at the investigation [into the Ms Y case] and see what happened there and have all the facts in front of us to see if there are things that need to be modified”

Speaking at the launch of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s 2013 annual report, Dr Reilly was asked if rape victims should have access to a termination in light of the Ms Y case.

The minister said: “Absolutely that rape is a dreadful and heinous crime and that the consequences for women who become pregnant as a result of that is an extremely difficult situation.

“The Government are reflecting on that at the moment and will continue to do so and I don’t think it would be right of me to preempt what their views might be.”

Mr Varadkar’s Cabinet briefing on the Ms Y case was limited to the teenager’s engagement with the HSE, and not related to wider issues of abortion legislation.

Mr Varadkar’s spokesperson said: “The minister gave the Cabinet a progress report on the HSE review of Ms Y’s case. The review and the interview process is still under way and we are awaiting the final report.”

The Ms Y case led to Tánaiste Joan Burton saying Labour supported lifting the constitutional ban on abortion but stressed her party and Fine Gael had only agreed to legislate for the X Case, as they did last year, and no more. Mr Kenny has ruled out any legislative changes.