Crisis pregnancies: Harris orders review of counselling rules

A review of the regulations covering the counselling of women with crisis pregnancies has been ordered by Minister for Health Simon Harris.

Mr Harris told the Dáil on Thursday the review would establish whether the Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State for Termination of Pregnancies) Act 1995 needed to be strengthened.

He said the Act made it an offence for bodies or counsellors to provide information on the termination of pregnancy that was not truthful or objective.

Allegations of providing such offending information could be referred to An Garda Síochána for investigation, he said.

“These provisions are already on the statute book and it is important that people with concerns about the veracity of information given by service providers are aware there is an existing basis for having their concerns addressed,’’ Mr Harris added.

Termination for Medical Reasons

The Minister said the issue had been raised with him by Labour leader Brendan Howlin, the Termination for Medical Reasons campaign group and individual women he had met over the past six months.

Mr Harris accepted a Labour Private Member’s Bill dealing with the counselling of women with crisis pregnancies and advice given by “rogue agencies’’.

He said while he had concerns about the way the Bill was drafted, it was appropriate it pass second stage in the House.

Mr Howlin said the purpose of the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill was to ensure whoever held themselves out to be counsellors in cases of a crisis pregnancy would be required to impart truthful advice.

Independent TD Mattie McGrath said the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) had been in breach of several provisions of the abortion referendum legislation.

“It appears this legislation was being breached on a wide scale basis,’’ he added.

“This reflected a high level of contempt for the health and wellbeing of the women, not to mention the law of the land.’’

He said in 2012, IFPA counsellors were found to be telling women they could lie to their doctors and say they had a miscarriage and not an abortion, if post-abortion complications arose.

‘Scandalous and dangerous advice’

“I find it very hard to understand why the Minister for Health has never condemned this scandalous and dangerous advice that was given to women, which put their lives at risk,’’ he added.

“To think that the same agency advised women on how to illegally import abortion pills to consume without any medical supervision adds to this terrible scandal.’’

The fact was, said Mr McGrath, that the IFPA received State funding, but the anti-abortion agency that motivated the debate in the House did not receive any.

“Surely there is something amiss when the Minister for Health sits back and does nothing when a State-funded body is found to be engaging in such reckless behaviour,’’ he added.

“I think it is important we keep all this in mind when the current discussion is under way.’’

He said he welcomed the Minister’s decision to introduce a code of practice, adding all healthcare professionals must be fit to practice.

AAA-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger said she took exception to older men making decisions for younger women on issues that would never affect them in such a way.

“Yet, they are judging and talking about women in this way,’’ she added.

AAA-PBP TD Brid Smith said she was amazed at Mr McGrath’s contribution and accused him of making “prejudiced and bigoted’’ remarks.