Cavan-Monaghan TD, Cathy Bennett, has described the pace at which government are rolling out schemes related to women's reproductive health as "woefully inadequate."
The local TD says justifications rather than plans should come as no surprise given the "pathetic representation" of women in senior government positions.
Deputy Bennett believes gender imbalance in senior government ministries has had an impact on prioritisation of women's reproductive health, particularly when it comes to the free contraception scheme.
The scheme was first introduced in 2022 and limited to those aged between 17 and 32.
Although the age was increased to 35 in 2024, Deputy Bennett described the move as "woefully inadequate."
While the Health Minister justified this by referring to reports that suggested a phased rollout, Deputy Bennett said she wouldn't recommended a phased approach of a pace that would take until 2038 to extend to the full cohort of women up to the age of 55.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Deputy Bennett is calling on the Health Minister to give women an estimated implementation for the extension of the free contraception scheme earlier than 2038.
Deputy Bennett told Northern Sound; "Despite announcing that the free Hormone Replacement Therapy scheme would be launched by January 1st of this year, in fact, it only opened in June, essentially as the ground work hadn't been done, and women's healthcare was used as an election gimmick.
"Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has no intention to compensate women for the cost of her inadequate planning on this scheme during the first five months of this year.
"If she is content to form part of a government consisting of 80% men, the very least she can do now is give women an estimated implementation for the extension of the free contraception scheme earlier than 2038."
