Former Clare Labour TD and consultant psychiatrist Dr Moosajee Bhamjee yesterday stated that there was a risk of suicide for women in unwanted pregnancies, especially in the first three months of pregnancy.
Dr Bhamjee said that in the last 12 months he has counselled "one or two" women who were in the early stages of pregnancy and represented what he called "suicide risks".
Contradicting a joint statement issued by Prof Anthony Clare and Prof Patricia Casey on the abortion issue last week stating that abortion was not a psychiatric matter, Dr Bhamjee said yesterday "it is a psychiatric matter".
Dr Bhamjee said that he came across a small number of women with unwanted pregnancies each year who, he said "didn't know what to do with the themselves and felt suicidal".
Dr Bhamjee said that some of the women subsequently went to London to have abortions. He said: "To have an abortion in London was an opening for them and that might have saved their lives."
Dr Bhamjee emphasised that he advised all of the women who came to him to contact counselling service CURA, while he advised women who sought contact numbers for abortion services in the UK to look up English-published newspapers and magazines.
He said: "Some of the women had their babies, some of them went on to London to have an abortion, but one wonders, if they didn't have the option of going to England to have an abortion, how many of these girls would have committed suicide?"
Dr Bhamjee said that he also counselled women after having abortions.
He said: "They told me of the conflicts that were in their minds prior to having the abortion and as to how they would harm or kill themselves."
"In their joint statement, Prof Clare and Prof Casey stated that "those who powerfully demand that women should have the right to choose to abort their unborn babies should not enrol psychiatry or psychiatric justifications for their cause".
Dr Bhamjee said, however: "Suicide is a risk in people who do not want a pregnancy.
"Especially in the first three months, the risk can be quite high.
"Women are in high conflict as to what to do, they may not be suffering from clinical depression, but they are in a situation where suicide is an option for them."
Dr Bhamjee said that abortion should be available in certain circumstances in Ireland and that the X case should be legislated for.
He said that he would be strongly advocating a No vote in the upcoming referendum.
He added: "Abortion is a fact of life in Ireland at the moment. To have the choice of abortion in certain circumstances is necessary."
