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“There is no basis for waiting three days before having an abortion”.
“Gan aon bhun le fanacht trí lá sula ndéantar ginmhilleadh”.
Major amendments should be made to the legislation regarding abortion, according to the person who chaired the recent review of abortion services in this country.
Ba chóir leasuithe móra a dhéanamh ar an reachtaíocht maidir le ginmhilleadh, dar leis an té a bhí ina cathaoirleach ar an athbhreithniú a rinneadh le gairid ar sheirbhísí ginmhillte sa tír seo.
Among these reforms, Dr Marie O’Shea recommends getting rid of the obligation to wait three days before having an abortion.
I measc na leasuithe sin, molann an Dr Marie O’Shea fáil réidh leis an oibleagáid fanacht trí lá sula ndéantar ginmhilleadh.
Dr O’Shea gave an account of the contents of the review to members of the Oireachtas Committee for Health today.
Thug an Dr O’Shea cuntas ar a bhfuil san athbhreithniú do chomhaltaí den Choiste Oireachtais um Shláinte inniu.
She told them that the Government must show strong leadership and courage to implement the changes needed.
Dúirt sí leo nár mhór don Rialtas ceannasaíocht láidir agus misneach a léiriú leis na hathruithe a theastaíonn a chur i bhfeidhm.
When the review was presented to the Government last month, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar indicated that the operational changes recommended in it would be implemented immediately.
Nuair a cuireadh an t-athbhreithniú faoi bhráid an Rialtais an mhí seo caite, thug an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar le fios go gcuirfí i bhfeidhm láithreach na hathruithe oibríochtúla a mholtar ann.
He said, however, that the amendments to the legislation proposed there would have to be submitted to the Oireachtas Committee for Health and the Health Service Executive.
Dúirt sé, áfach, go gcaithfí na leasuithe ar an reachtaíocht a mholtar ann a chur faoi bhráid Choiste Oireachtais um Shláinte agus Fheidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte.
Speaking at a hearing of that committee today, Dr O’Shea said that women who are entitled to an abortion in this country are going abroad to get it.
Ag labhairt di ag éisteacht den choiste sin inniu, dúirt an Dr O’Shea go bhfuil mná atá i dteideal ginmhilleadh a fháil sa tír seo ag dul thar lear lena fháil.
It is because abortion services are often not available within twelve weeks – the legal time limit – that these women have to go to other countries, she said.
Is de bhrí nach bhfuil fáil go minic ar sheirbhísí ginmhillte taobh istigh de dhá sheachtain déag – an teorainn ama dhlíthiúil – a chaithfeas na mná sin dul chuig tíortha eile, arsa sí.
Dr O’Shea also drew attention to the dysfunctionality, in her view, of the obligation to wait three days before an abortion is performed.
Tharraing an Dr O’Shea aird freisin ar an mífheidhmiúlacht, dar léi, a bhaineann leis an oibleagáid fanacht trí lá sula ndéantar ginmhilleadh.
There is no medical or legal basis for that obligation, she said, and there is no evidence that women benefit from it.
Níl bun leighis ná dlíthiúil leis an oibleagáid sin, a dúirt sí, agus níl aon fhianaise ann go mbaineann mná aon tairbhe as.
Also, because abortion services are not available 365 days a year, she says, it often turns the three-day wait into a four- or five-day stay.
Chomh maith leis sin, mar gheall nach bhfuil fáil ar sheirbhísí ginmhillte 365 lá sa bhliain, ar sí, fágann sé go mbíonn an fanacht trí lá ina fhanacht ceithre lá nó cúig lá go minic.
The review recommends that more abortion services be made available throughout the country in general.
Moltar san athbhreithniú níos mó seirbhísí ginmhillte a chur ar fáil ar fud na tíre go ginearálta.
It is said that there are places in the country that are not well served and women in those places have to travel a long way to access abortion services.
Deirtear go bhfuil áiteanna sa tír nach ndéantar freastal maith orthu agus go gcaithfidh mná sna háiteanna sin turas fada a dhéanamh le teacht ar sheirbhísí ginmhillte.
Currently, 422 centers in the community and eleven of the nineteen maternity hospitals provide abortion services.
Faoi láthair, is 422 ionad sa phobal agus aon cheann déag de na naoi n-ospidéal máithreachais déag a chuireann seirbhísí ginmhillte ar fáil.
The review also calls for the number of family doctors in the country to be increased to 6,000 so that more information is available to women about abortion services.
Iarrtar san athbhreithniú freisin an líon dochtúirí teaghlaigh sa tír a mhéadú go 6,000 le go mbeadh tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ag mná faoi sheirbhísí ginmhillte.
In that one, it is recommended to allow abortion after twelve weeks in certain circumstances and not to threaten doctors with the law in the future.
Ina cheann sin, moltar ginmhilleadh a cheadú tar éis dhá sheachtain déag i gcúinsí áirithe agus gan an dlí a bhagairt ar dhochtúirí feasta.
It also calls for a legal ban on health care workers giving misleading information to women and says that nurses and midwives should be more involved in providing an abortion service.
Iarrtar freisin cosc dlíthiúil a chur ar oibrithe cúraim sláinte eolas míthreorach a thabhairt do mhná agus deirtear gur cheart baint níos mó a bheith ag altraí agus mná cabhrach le seirbhís ginmhillte a chur ar fáil.
Marie O’Shea is a barrister and former consultant obstetrician.
Is abhcóide agus iarchnáimhseoir comhairleach í Marie O’Shea.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs Abortion services under discussion by politicians
Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ Seirbhísí ginmhillte faoi chaibidil ag polaiteoirí