Abortion services will be free, Harris confirms

Authored by irishexaminer.com and submitted by PlasticCoffee

Ireland's imminent abortion services will be completely free to ensure they can be fully accessed by anyone who needs them, end the need to travel abroad for care and to prevent an influx of private abortion clinics into this country.

Health Minister Simon Harris confirmed the new services will not cost anything just 24 hours after President Michael D Higgins signed the referendum result into law, thereby formally removing the eighth amendment from the constitution.

Speaking to reporters at the opening of the new primary care centre in Grangegorman, Dublin, Mr Harris said that even though abortion services are set to be provided in the near future it is essential "cost is not a barrier" to accessing the medical help.

Asked specifically if he will introduce any charge to receive abortions in legislation due to be passed by cabinet next week and put to the Dáil in the first week of October, Mr Harris confirmed no fees will be involved.

The Health Minister said the move is needed, saying that if a price tag was linked to accessing abortion services it would encourage private abortion clinics into Ireland and lead to women continuing to travel abroad for the care they need.

"Yes, it is my intention that the services will be free," Mr Harris confirmed.

"I've said from the start that I don't want cost to be a barrier, because if cost is a barrier you get into a situation where one of two things happen, you get abortion clinics to develop or you can see people having to continue to travel.

"I want this [abortion services] to be provided as part of our healthcare system, our public healthcare system and part of our primary healthcare system.

I think it's important to say that Tuesday was an extraordinarily historic day. The President of Ireland signed the bill that has removed the eighth amendment from the constitution, and today is the first day that the eighth amendment is actually gone from Bunreacht na hEireann.

"That now allows us as legislatures to do our job," he said.

Mr Harris also confirmed that, now that President Higgins has signed the order paper to remove the eighth amendment from the constitution, he will bring planned law changes to allow abortion services to cabinet next week.

The Health Minister said he expects cabinet to pass these new rules immediately in order to allow him to bring them to the Dáil in the first week of October and fully introducing them by the end of this year.

"Next week I will return to cabinet for final approval of the bill that will legislate for termination of pregnancy in certain circumstances.

"I intend to introduce that in the Oireachtas in the first week of October, I hope we can pass it through the Oireachtas in the month of October and November," he said.

Asked about ongoing concerns pro-life groups may target the three day 'cooling off' period for women seeking to access abortion services which is included in the planned new laws, Mr Harris said he was aware of the issue.

However, in a clear message to groups wishing to continue the abortion debate, he said:

"I do note the comments of some groups about the three days. But I would say to anybody regardless of whether you voted yes or no, we made a conscious decision to have a very detailed general scheme available before the referendum, that three day period was part of the discussion and was debated fully during the referendum, which was passed."

The Pro Life Campaign said that today’s proceedings at the Oireachtas Committee were “a rude awakening” for anyone who thought the new abortion law would be restrictive.

Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro Life Campaign said: “Today’s committee hearings brought into sharp focus the extreme nature of the abortion law about to be introduced. It’s a definite rude awakening for anyone who thought the law would be somewhat restrictive.”

“It is clear Health Minister Simon Harris and others in government have no interest in hearing perspectives other than ones that zealously back abortion. It is going to take time but the public will realise the full extent of the charade that is going on when the reality of what the abortion law permits starts to sink in," she said.

Yoji101 on September 20th, 2018 at 13:56 UTC »

Just to give a bit of perspective to the US peps reading.

I'll start by saying that the Irish health system has a lot of problems mostly stemming from decades of cost cutting and mismanagement. etc. That being said.

If you don't have health insurance you can avail of free (at source) health care, you will be in a queue depending on the severity but you will be looked after.

Health insurance is also available and with it you can get priority care and also attend some private hospitals. Coverage compared to the States is cheap I would imagine. I get subsidized health care from my job but if I were to pay for it myself it would cost me approx €1000 a year. This coverage has got me through two spinal surgeries and lots of scans etc. The operations cost me an excess of €75 each (total actual cost was €10K+).

My mother has the same coverage and she went through bowel cancer treatment and a couple of very serious and big operations costing God know what but the actual cost to her was €120.

So even the private route is manageable for a lot of people. Also the max spend you have to make for prescribed drugs is €134 per calendar month. You can claim back any spend above that.

ThatsBushLeague on September 20th, 2018 at 11:53 UTC »

Forgive me, for I am an ignorant American who has no idea how to even comprehend a medical procedure being free.

What happens with stuff like this if there are complications? Would the further treatment also be covered?

Props to them for attempting to remove cost from being a barrier to anyone's health. I wish I could even get like a bandaid for free here.

I just am always curious how stuff like that is handled down the line.

DillTicklePickle on September 20th, 2018 at 11:39 UTC »

From illegal to free in what 2 years