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Historic opportunity to provide for all health needs of women and girls in Ireland

Published: Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Following the launch of the report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) calls on the Government to prepare legislation that will reflect the recommendations made by the Committee.

 Orla O’Connor, Director of NWCI said,

“These recommendations provide the basis for a significant improvement for women’s healthcare in Ireland.  They provide a moderate and straight-forward resolution to the impossible situations that the Eighth Amendment has created for women and their doctors. The recommendations recognise that abortion care is a small but necessary element of healthcare services that women and girls need. 

We are encouraged by their acknowledgment that the person who can best protect a developing life is the pregnant woman, in consultation with her doctor, and not the Constitution.  The protected period during the first twelve weeks will be crucial to provide timely access to early abortion for all women and girls who need it, including those who have become pregnant as a result of rape. Where a pregnancy becomes a crisis pregnancy at a later stage our doctors must be able to continue to provide care for the pregnant woman in a safe, regulated and non-judgemental environment.” 

 Orla O’Connor continued,

“The recommendations reflect the views of the majority of people we have consulted with over the past year. Most people want managed change that will allow complete healthcare for every woman with the support and care of her doctor. We commend the work of the chair, Senator Catherine Noone, and of all of the other members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee, who have faced difficult questions around pregnancy care and abortion with openness, honesty and a genuine interest in women’s health and well-being.  We call on the Government to prepare legislation that reflects the recommendations by the Joint Oireachtas Committee. We also call on all Oireachtas Members to consider the report over the next weeks."

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For more information, please contact Silke Paasche, NWCI, Tel. 085 858 9104, silkep@nwci.ie  

Notes to Editor: 

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is Ireland's largest women's representative organisation with over 180 members from across the country. 

NWCI recently launched Every Woman - A Model for Reproductive Healthcare in Ireland. You can find more information on everywoman.nwci.ie