Minister 'not satisfied' with level of abortion access

A public consultation process has been launched as part of a review of legislation, but TDs criticised the delay in appointing an independent chairperson as part of the review.

Health minister Stephen Donnelly said that although abortion legislation has led to a 'huge reduction in women leaving the country' for procedures, ease of access to services across the country had not yet been achieved. Picture: Sasko Lazarov

Health minister Stephen Donnelly is "not currently satisfied" with the level of access to abortion services across the country.

Mr Donnelly has opened a public consultation process as part of a review of legislation that was introduced in the wake of the historic referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

Mr Donnelly said the legislation, introduced in January 2019, has led to a "huge reduction in women leaving the country", meaning "that objective to a greater or lesser extent has been achieved".

However, he added: "Have we achieved broad geographic coverage? I would say no."

"I don't believe we have achieved the geographic coverage and ease of access that is required," he told the Oireachtas health committee, adding that he hopes the review will address this issue.

Just 10 of the 19 maternity units around the country currently provide full services, and committee members also raised concerns around the lack of GPs signed up to provide services in many areas.

Fine Gael senator Martin Conway said he has "major concerns" about the rollout of abortion services in rural areas, and told the committee that three years after the legislation was introduced, there is still a "serious urban/rural divide" when it comes to access.

Principal officer in the Department of Health, Geraldine Luddy, told the committee that 375 people travelled to the UK for terminations in 2020. She said there were many reasons for this, including cases where there was a "foetal anomaly that wasn't fatal and also for women who were over 12 weeks pregnant".

There was confusion at the start of the meeting as members of the committee were forced to search for details of the review on the Department of Health website. Mr Donnelly then read out the terms of reference when it emerged that they had not yet been published.

“If the minister is now responsible for posting to the department's website, the country is in a serious pickle," said Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart.

Members of the health committee were also highly critical of a delay in appointing an independent chairperson as part of the review.

Mr Donnelly told the meeting that he had hoped to have a chairperson in place by now, however, this will now have to go through the public appointments process.

He said he hoped that this process would be completed early in the new year.

Pointing to the fact that the independent chairperson will not be in place from the very start of the review, Labour senator Annie Hoey said it seemed like a “topsy-turvy” way of doing things.

Labour senator Annie Hoey. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Sinn Féin's health spokesperson David Cullinane pressed the minister on the scope of the review, and asked whether changing the three-day waiting period would be part of the work to be carried out.

Mr Donnelly said that it would be within the scope of the review, "if it is causing operational difficulties".

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall also asked the minister if the review would allow for policy changes.

Responding, Mr Donnelly said: "The entire point of this review is to listen to the women themselves, to the service providers and to the public, with a view to seeing what changes may be required."

However, Mr Donnelly also stressed 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 said he hopes a final report will be completed by the summer or autumn of next year.