Verona Murphy, an independent TD, became visibly emotional while addressing the deficiency in mental health services during a Dáil debate marking International Women’s Day. She criticised the fact that while women’s successes in various fields are celebrated, critical healthcare facilities are lacking.
Spotlighting this problem, she narrated the story of a young girl from her Wexford constituency struggling with anorexia. Despite enduring significant family challenges, including her grandfather’s death and her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, the young girl’s weight further fell from 36kg to 32kg after few weeks in Waterford University Hospital.
Murphy criticised the hospital’s inability to cater to patients with anorexia, explaining that the girl was advised she must weigh 40kg to qualify for a specialist facility. This weight requirement was set to ensure she had the mental capacity to comprehend her situation and the necessary treatment. Frightfully, if her family hadn’t fought fiercely, she could have been left to perish, alleged the TD.
The representative could hardly contain her emotions when emphasising how the system’s failures denied Caitlin, the young girl, invaluable time with her ailing father. She accused the state of failing to provide basic care, pointing out that hundreds in Wexford were undergoing the same ordeal with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs). Caitlin’s father tragically passed away in November 2023.
Despite this, Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Equality, expressed that since taking office in 2021 there had been definite improvements in support for women. He noted the creation of the Domestic Violence Agency and an increased budget for dealing with domestic abuse, from €20 million to €43 million. Additionally, he argued that childcare has become more accessible.
He urged electors to back the referendums on International Women’s Day, stating that Article 41.2, the piece concerning the family, has been unsuccessful in advancing women, instead maintaining an antiquated, restrictive perspective on their position in Irish society.
He expressed that if there were to be a favourable result on the Care amendment, Ireland would be one of the initial nations worldwide to formally enhance care to a constitutional prominence at the core of our nation’s founding charter. This signals an unequivocal acknowledgment that the state must do more to facilitate care, and provide assistance to those who offer and those who receive it.
Several TDs, including Rose Conway-Walsh from Sinn Féin, discussed the toll of war on women, notably the hostilities in Gaza. She stressed that females bear the most severe impacts of war, citing that in Palestine, Israeli Defence Forces have taken the lives of 8,400 women and 6,000 girls. Shedding light on a UN report, she emphasized that numerous women face hardships in conflicts but are often sidelined from peace negotiations.
John McGuinness from Fianna Fáil relayed that political parties are neglecting to advocate for the women in their institutions, resulting in fewer females stepping forward on political agendas. He argued that it’s commendable for parties to reserve a certain quota for female participation, but until they adjust the candidate selection process, they will struggle to adjust the dominance balance necessary to fulfill their stated obligations.
Speaking on the deficiency of female representation in politics, Emer Higgins from Fine Gael highlighted that only 38% of Ireland’s MEPs are female, along with 25% of our councilors, and just 23% of our TDs, equating to 36 out of 160 deputies. She expressed hope for a surge in this number when the next Dáil returns with 174 TDs.
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