Marie O'Shea BL

Ms O’Shea was appointed last January to lead the second phase of the review required under section 7 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.

Her report, published today, examines whether services mandated under the Act are being delivered and makes a range of recommendations, most of which are operational in nature, with some proposing legislative change.

The Cabinet has agreed to refer the recommendations proposing legislative change to the Joint Committee on Health for its consideration, while the HSE will establish an implementation group to deliver the operational recommendations.

Stephen Donnelly, the health minister, said: “I would like to thank the independent chair, Marie O’Shea BL, for her dedication and hard work in preparing this comprehensive report.

“I would also like to acknowledge and thank the stakeholders, service providers, those who avail of these services as well as members of the public for their input into the report. Their knowledge, experience and views have contributed greatly to this important milestone in the development of termination of pregnancy services in Ireland.

“Furthermore, the efforts and contributions made by those at the forefront of getting this service up and running should be acknowledged, having worked so tirelessly throughout the pandemic and beyond to ensure its establishment was finalised.”