Nobody can say risk of suicide will never occur, Oireachtas health committee hears

Suicide risk will be included in abortion legislation because it would be impossible to say such a situation could never arise, the State’s chief medical officer has said.

Dr Tony Holohan also told the committee hearings on abortion that psychiatrists were capable of making a valid, clinical assessment about the risk of suicide for a pregnant woman. It was not a "hocus pocus sort of assessment".

Heated criticisms
There were also heated criticisms of Minister for Health James Reilly, who left the hearing after his address without taking questions from TDs and Senators. Chairman of the committee Jerry Buttimer, who had called for a dignified and constructive hearing, urged his colleagues to "take a deep breath" and calm down.

Speaking during the opening session of the three days of hearings, Dr Holohan said the provision of the risk of suicide as a grounds for abortion would be included because “we simply cannot say that the circumstance of a real and substantial risk to a woman’s life could never occur as a consequence of suicidal ideation”.

Fine Gael TD Billy Timmins and Independent TD Mattie McGrath said there was a clear message from the January hearings that termination was not a treatment for suicide.

“Is there any point in us listening to evidence being presented here when the legislation doesn’t reflect what happened at the hearings,” Mr Timmins asked.

Dr Holohan said that was not his reading of the evidence presented to the committee.

“We simply cannot say that the circumstance of a real and substantial risk to a woman’s life could never occur as a consequence of suicidal ideation.”

Defending the ability of psychiatrists to assess claims by pregnant women that they were, in seeking a termination, experiencing suicidal ideation , he said psychiatry “is a science and it is based on scientific methods and endeavour”.

Asked by Fine Gael's Mary Mitchell O'Connor how many cases of suicidal ideation he estimated there would be where an abortion was granted, he said "I wouldn't expect it to be a very widespread or common occurrence but I wouldn't say it would never happen".

Technical nature
In his address Dr Reilly described the legislation as "extremely complex" and said there would be a number of amendments of a technical nature. He then left the hearing without taking questions.

Criticising his departure, Mr Timmins said “I can’t think of a more appropriate or important place for him to be than here in this chamber”.

Fine Gael Senator Paul Bradford said it was “bizarre” the Minister did not stay for his own legislation.

Mr McGrath said it was a “farce” and that the Minister had “run from the chamber”.