Mary Lou McDonald: End Ireland's 3-Day Abortion Wait
Mary Lou McDonald is bringing forward legislation this evening to remove the mandatory three-day waiting period for abortion in Ireland. She argues the wait is causing real harm to women, pushing some beyond the 12-week limit and forcing them to travel for care.
Legislation to remove the waiting period
Mary Lou McDonald introduces a bill to end the mandatory three-day wait for women seeking termination services. She says changing the law will allow women to access health care when they need it and prevent unnecessary delays and hardship.
Impact on women and access
McDonald highlights that the waiting period has pushed some women past the 12-week threshold so they cannot access services here and must travel abroad. She stresses the particular harm to survivors of sexual assault, victims of domestic violence and people living with coercive control, and notes the difficulty many face getting GP appointments.
Parliamentary process and next steps
Mary Lou McDonald calls on TDs to vote with trust, care and compassion when the matter is put to the House tomorrow night. She intends the amendment to proceed to committee stage, where consequential amendments flagged by the Minister can be considered without undermining the amendment's intent.
Context and consequences
McDonald places the proposal in the context of the 2018 repeal of the Eighth Amendment and the work since to provide free, safe and legal termination services. She says removing the three-day wait will enhance the Act's intent and improve access to reproductive health care across Ireland.
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Taoiseach, Sinn Féin is bringing forward important legislation to end the mandatory three-day wait for women who need an abortion this evening. This wait, Taoiseach, is causing real damage to women. It's pushed some beyond the 12-week period meaning that they can't access services here in Ireland and have to travel. Women who have suffered sexual assault, live with domestic violence, coercive control, are left in a really awful situation and it's meant real hardship for very many women who struggle to get a GP appointment in their county. Changing the law, removing the three-day wait would ensure that women can access health care when they need it. So I believe we can do this together, Taoiseach, and I hope that every TD will look to trust, to care and to compassion when they cast their vote on this matter tomorrow night. Thank you Deputy for raising the issue. I do recognise that this is a very sensitive issue. There are a range of opinions and perspectives within this House and indeed amongst the public. But the people did vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment in 2018 and to provide free, safe and legal access to termination services and we've made a lot of progress on that front since then in the implementation of the Act. I'm aware of the arguments for and against the removal of the three-day waiting period. It's important we have a respectful debate on the House. I intend to vote for this to go through to committee stage and at committee stage there will be perhaps a need for consequential amendments, which I think the Minister has flagged, which I would definitely call now. But that's just, that's only relating to the actual issue and it doesn't undermine the intent of the, in fact it enhances the intent of the of the amendment.
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