Brid Smith is calling on the government to allow remote access to Early Medical Abortion as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The People Before Profit TD says Ireland should follow guidance from the World Health Organisation on this issue.
She has urged Minister for Health Simon Harris to move quickly on this issue as anyone who becomes unintentionally pregnant during this outbreak will be "under even greater stress than normal."
She said: “We are all aware that access to normal healthcare services will be disrupted during the pandemic so, we will have to embrace greater use of remote consultations and allow women to take both abortion pills at home.
"Currently the first pill, mifepristone, has to be taken in the doctor’s surgery and the second, misoprostol, is taken at home.
“At a time when women, doctors and nurses may be self-isolating and hospitals over-run with COVID-19 cases, it makes sense that early medical abortions are provided safely by telemedicine and that pills may be prescribed by nurses and midwives as well as by doctors.
"Delaying these changes will only mean women having to make unnecessary journeys to have abortions at later gestations."
