Jessica Ryan

What my values are when it comes to giving birth are very different to someone else's values.

Some people may not want to see a consultant for their entire pregnancy.

And that is if they want to make that choice, they can absolutely make that choice.

I mean, I actually have quite a holistic view of birth.

But if we look at the options available to people in Ireland, okay, we have public, semi-private and private.

Say, Private Midwives Ireland closed their doors in August 2025.

And so if people were hoping to engage in private midwifery care for home births, they are unable to do so.

There is a huge strain on resources for home births in Ireland.

In the UK, you have birthing centres.

We don't have any of those in Ireland.

Also depends on your rurality and where you live.

And so, I mean, yes, it would be amazing to have a public system where you felt safe and reassured and supported.

So many years I worked in health care in Canada and that is a purely public system.

But we don't have those options.

So it's OK if the government is trying to phase out private care.

What is it being replaced with?

What resources are there?

And is it going to take decades to implement?

And I think it comes down to that.

I think you make some valid points.