Holly Cairns: Lack of action on State's abortion law shows 'political cowardice'

Holly Cairns has called on Government to deal with the recommendations from the final review into the State’s abortion law, authored by barrister Marie O’Shea, which recommends significant changes. Picture: Gráinne Ní Aodha/PA

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said it will be “cruel” and “political cowardice” if the Government decides against removing a three-day waiting period to access abortion services.

Ms Cairns has called on Government to deal with the recommendations from the final review into the State’s abortion law, authored by barrister Marie O’Shea, which recommends significant changes.

The report is now back with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly following the Oireachtas health committee’s consideration that Mr Donnelly should bring forward the proposals as a matter of priority. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have indicated they are reluctant to introduce any changes.

Among the recommendations by Ms O’Shea is the removal of a three-day wait period between doctor’s appointments to access termination of pregnancy medication which is currently mandatory but now advised to be made optional.

Ms Cairns said: “The three day mandatory waiting period isn’t based on any kind of evidence or science. On the contrary, the review has found that it’s an unnecessary, unfair impediment to people trying to access a health service.

I think it’s such political cowardice if they try and kick this into the next Government. It’s very cruel to keep it in because they don’t want to deal with it. Why make women suffer unnecessarily when we can change the rules to make the service better?

Mr Varadkar has said he would be “reluctant and uncomfortable” to make legislative changes to abortion provision. Mr Martin said he is not convinced the waiting period is a major barrier but is “open-minded”.

Both have said the three-day wait period was given as a safeguard commitment during the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Ms O’Shea has said the period is problematic, particularly for marginalised and vulnerable service users, and she said the waiting period “can impose a physical and psychological burden on women”.

Ms Cairns said: “This is a continuation of the unnecessary kind of controlling women’s bodies that I really think we need to move away from.

“Basically what that is, they don’t want to lose votes of people that they think will be kind of put out by that change.”

March will mark a year since Ms Cairns became leader of her party. She said one of the challenges she has faced is having to become more private about her personal life.

She said she is naturally an open person but for women, there is more coverage of their personal lives rather than focusing on the policies they’re trying to progress and also impacts on how they’re perceived.

She said she didn’t understand the criticism she received after an interview accompanied with a photoshoot appeared in a newspaper. 

She said she was not aware of the price of the clothing she was photographed in beforehand and did not keep the clothing.