Professor of Psychiatry says the Eighth Amendment harms everyone in Ireland

"We are all shamed by the current situation".

Taryn de Vere

Professor of Psychiatry says the Eighth Amendment harms everyone in Ireland

Speaking to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, Professor of Psychiatry, Veronica O’Keane, told members that its presence harms everyone in Ireland.

“I would go further and say that the mental health of every person in Ireland is being damaged by the Eighth Amendment. We are all shamed by the current situation.”

Professor O’Keane also told the committee that the Eighth Amendment shames everyone in Ireland.

“The UK path to abortion is a sad and shameful one that Irish women have endured for five decades now. It is a cruel and degrading journey and it is damaging to women’s mental health. It is filled with shame and humiliation…We should be ashamed that there are women who are ignored and neglected.”

Professor O’Keane said that they were aware of seven women accessing an abortion through the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act but that records were not kept of how many women had been refused, nor of how many pregnant women had gone on to take their lives.

“It’s very worrying about the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act. We have no idea of how many women applied for an abortion, there are some women who many not have survived.”

Professor O’Keane said that the majority of her patients were mothers already. This information was supported by Dr Gilda Sedgh, Principal Research Scientist at the Guttmacher Institute who presented to the JOC this week. Dr Sedgh said,

“We estimated that about 73 percentof all abortions worldwide are obtained by married women, and 27 percent are obtained by unmarried women. In the developed world, about 69 percent of the abortions are obtained by married women”.

Senator Ned O’Sullivan expressed surprise that so many women seeking abortions were married women. Dr Sedgh responded by saying it was “interesting” that much of the media focus is on young, unmarried women seeking abortions when in fact they are in the minority.

Dr Sedgh stated that women in their 20’s and 30’s were more likely to access abortion services rather than adolescent girls and that 90 percent of abortions occur during the first trimester.

Leah Hoctor, Regional Director for Europe, Center for Reproductive Rights also presented information to the Oireachtas committee. Ms Hoctor spoke of how the Center for Reproductive Rights supported Amanda Mellet and Siobhán Whelan in their successful complaints to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

“In both decisions, the Human Rights Committee held that Ireland is obliged under international treaties to provide effective remedies and full reparation to Ms Mellet and Ms Whelan. It detailed that these remedies must entail compensation, psychological support services, and reform of Irish abortion law, including if necessary the Constitution, in order to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future”.

Ms Hoctor also provided information about abortion access across Europe and how Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws compare to the rest of Europe.

europe

When asked about how Ireland’s abortion laws are viewed by the rest of Europe Ms Hoctor said,

“Our sense would be that Europe is watching and waiting.”

The Citizens Assembly, when provided with statistics and information on abortion recommended a compassionate and humane response to abortion access. The majority of the Joint Oireachtas Committee seems to be taking on board the presentations of the expert witnesses. One Committee member, TD Jonathan O’Brien admitted that in response to listening to he has now changed his stance from being pro-life to being pro-choice.

“I came to the 8th committee with an open mind, left my own long-held views at the door and listened to the expert evidence. Having done so I changed my opinion and believe full repeal is what’s in women’s best health interests.”

Since the Oireachtas Committee began 1,960 women have left Ireland to access abortion services and 980 have taken pills at home. For every day that passes another 15 women will need an abortion. These women cannot just “watch and wait”.

It is heartening to know that the majority of the legislators on the committee are listening with an open mind to the evidence, which is overwhelmingly in favour of a change in the law to provide safe, legal abortion access.