Women's experiences to be sought for review of abortion legislation
Demonstrations before the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018.
Women's experiences are to be sought as part of a review of abortion legislation due to be launched today.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will announce the terms of reference of a much anticipated review of abortion in this country, which will include a public consultation process.
Campaigners had been calling on the minister to initiate the review which is required under the legislation that was enacted after the historic referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
Mr Donnelly, who is appearing at the Health Committee this morning, is to announce details of the review which will be carried out by an Independent chairperson in two phases.
"Phase one of the review will capture information on the operation of the Act from the perspective of women who access the service, health professionals who deliver the service and the public," Mr Donnelly will tell the committee.
"The second phase of the review will be led by an independent chair who will assess the extent to which the objectives of the Act have been achieved, analysing in that regard the findings of the three strands of information, on the operation of the Act."
The chairperson will be tasked with assessing the extent to which the Act’s objectives have, and have not, been achieved and will make recommendations to address any barriers identified.
This chairperson, who has yet to be appointed, will be asked to make recommendations next year.
However, Mr Donnelly will stress that "it is important to say that, in the first instance, the review will focus on the operation of the legislation, rather than on the policy underlying the Act".
Mr Donnelly will tell the committee that women’s experiences of termination of pregnancy services and their views on how the system has operated since January 2019 will be a critical source of information for the review.
As part of this, a public consultation process will open today.
The review will also draw on the large research study commissioned by the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme on unplanned pregnancy and abortion care, which is being led by Dr Catherine Conlon.
