Latest news with #NicoleRyan
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Senator shows Seanad picture of her seven-week scan as ‘only evidence' pregnancy existed
Holding up a picture of her seven-week scan in Seanad Éireann, Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan said it was the 'only evidence' that her ' pregnancy ever existed'. The scan was taken after she began bleeding and she was relieved there was a heartbeat at the time, she said. However, two days before her 12-week scan she 'knew something was wrong' when she found her sheets covered in blood. She learned later in hospital that she had had a miscarriage. Ms Ryan was among a number of senators who spoke in the Seanad on Wednesday about their experience of miscarriage. They shared their experiences as part of a debate on Sinn Féin's proposal to introduce paid leave for pregnancy loss. READ MORE The Bill would entitle women to at least five days of paid leave and their partner to 2½ days. The proposed legislation would also lead to the establishment of a confidential opt-in register of pregnancy loss. [ Woman who suffered six miscarriages says employers' response ranged from empathy to pressure to return to work Opens in new window ] There was Opposition criticism of the Government's move to defer the Bill by a year while it develops similar legislative proposals of its own. Ms Ryan argued that to 'delay this Bill is to traumatise even more women'. She said the proposed pregnancy loss register is 'incredibly important' as the State does not recognise losses of pregnancies under 23 weeks' gestation. She said 'pregnancy loss is one of the most common forms of bereavement and yet one of the least recognised in both society and law'. Fine Gael Senator Linda Nelson Murray praised Ms Ryan for bringing the proposals, saying: 'As someone who has suffered miscarriages myself, including my eldest daughter's twin, I know what that ache is like for thousands of women across Ireland.' She said pregnancy loss is often treated as 'something that is silently endured'. However, she supported the Government's argument that Sinn Féin's plan to amend a working time law was not the best way to bring in the new leave entitlements. Amending family leave provisions or introducing standalone legislation 'would form a more suitable legal basis', she said. Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove also commended Ms Ryan on the Bill, saying she too has suffered a miscarriage. Sinn Féin Senator Joanne Collins said she suffered a miscarriage when she was in a job that did not give her the option to leave her post. 'I miscarried while I worked, because there was no other option,' she said, adding that there was 'no system, no cover'. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said his officials believe there are 'significant policy challenges' to the operation of the Bill as drafted. The Seanad passed his motion that gives the Government 12 months to develop legislative proposals in line with the principles of the Sinn Féin Bill. 'I fully recognise the need to introduce leave for those who experience pregnancy loss,' he said.
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘None of us got out unscathed': Senator speaks of experience ‘living in very violent home'
Senators applauded a colleague's bravery in the Upper House of the Oireachtas on Wednesday when she spoke about witnessing domestic abuse as a child. Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan described her mother as a strong woman who was a victim of abuse, the trauma of which passed 'through the generations' to herself and her sibling. Ms Ryan lived in a very violent home from the age of four to seven. 'As a child, when you're developing through that stage, it shapes how you see the world' and 'how you grow'. Her mother escaped 'but none of us got out unscathed'. READ MORE The Cork-based Senator was speaking during a debate on the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill to change how breaches of domestic violence orders and bail conditions are treated in the criminal justice system. [ Eight domestic violence calls go unanswered by Free Legal Advice Centres every day due to lack of resources Opens in new window ] Ms Ryan introduced an amendment to the Cross Party Group's private member's Bill, that the presence of a child when an offence is being committed 'shall be considered an aggravating factor for the purposes of sentencing'. 'The perpetrator never carries the shame, when they commit an act of violence … The shame is always given to the victim. And that shame gets passed on.' Her voice breaking, she said it shaped how she saw the world and her trust in people. 'For two decades, I lived in the shadow of the shame.' As a child she learned how to read people. 'I would know the kind of mood that he'd be in by the way that that his foot crossed the threshold of the front door. 'I would understand that laughing sometimes or playing too loud could be a trigger. Or the fact that if the house wasn't clean enough that would mean my mother would get abuse.' Ms Ryan became 'very fixated' on having 'everything perfect' and 'that will be with me forever'. The shame 'makes you hypervigilant and untrusting even of love. You see everything as danger', she said. 'Even if we were never hurt physically, but emotionally … we carry those scars, and that does need to be an aggravating factor' in sentencing, because 'I will still carry those scars with me for the rest of my life', she said. The Senator said she was grateful for the opportunity to share her story and 'to stand up for all the other young children that are out there that are living in these homes'.
Irish Independent
14-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
More recognition and support required for individuals and families experiencing pregnancy loss
The cross-party group has been initiated by Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan who held an Oireachtas briefing on pregnancy loss. Sinn Féin Senator Ryan wants to drive Oireachtas reform regarding policy change and service improvement for people who experience pregnancy loss. The Cork politician hosted a powerful and informative Oireachtas briefing titled: 'Policy change and service improvement for people who experience pregnancy loss: An ambition for the 34th Dáil and 27th Seanad.' The session focused on addressing the lack of recognition, support, and rights for individuals and families experiencing pregnancy loss before 23 weeks' gestation. The event featured expert contributions from Professor Keelin O'Donoghue and Dr Marita Hennessy, leading researchers from University College Cork, alongside representatives from the Miscarriage Association of Ireland and Féileacáin. During the briefing, key recommendations were shared to guide legislative and policy reform in the area of early pregnancy loss. These included an acknowledgement and certification of pregnancy loss under 23 weeks through a national registration system and statutory paid leave for workers who experience pregnancy loss, grounded in findings from the PLACES Project. Another recommendation was the implementation of a new national model of miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage care, informed by the RE:CURRENT Project Speaking at the session Professor O'Donoghue underlined the urgency of political action. 'There is no one thing we can do to foster an equitable, impactful system of care. It requires several action. We know what these are. We have the evidence and they are all within our powers to do.' In response to this call for collaboration, Senator Ryan has formally launched a Cross-Party Oireachtas Group on Pregnancy and Infant Loss, which will serve as a forum to drive coordinated, compassionate policy development and ensure the voices of those affected are heard at every level. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more This follows Senator Ryan's recent introduction of the Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, which proposes a statutory period of paid leave following pregnancy loss under 23 weeks, as well as the establishment of an opt-in national register for bereaved families. As part of her ongoing commitment to breaking the silence and building a compassionate, informed movement, Senator Ryan also announced that a series of public workshops will take place this summer in collaboration with The Bábóg Project. The workshops — titled "The Space Between: Spaces of Stillness" — will run from July to September and will offer space for healing, remembrance, and connection through shared creative expression. Each event will include reflective doll-making in honour of lost pregnancies, with proceeds donated to the Miscarriage Association of Ireland. Subsidised tickets will be available for those who need them. Speaking after the event, Senator Ryan said the grief of pregnancy loss doesn't end in silence. 'This is about more than just policy. It's about recognition, compassion, and justice. Our laws and services must reflect that.' The Cross-Party Oireachtas Group will begin meeting in the coming weeks, with a view to progressing shared policy goals ahead of Budget 2026.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SD veterans' thoughts on D.C. military parade
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – This weekend, over 6,000 soldiers and 150 military vehicles are expected to gather near the National Mall for a parade to honor the 250th anniversary of the Army. Army National Guard veteran, Jeremiah Fawcett in Sioux Falls says he'll be tuning in to watch. 'I think it's a good idea. Any time that we can enhance and take a look at our national security, I think that goes a long way,' Fawcett said. Motorcycle event an alternative to street racing Nicole Ryan spent 21 years serving in the Air National Guard and thinks the parade may entice people to enlist. 'It'd be kind of cool for people who have no military background to see what's all involved in it. I think it would get a lot more people interested in possibly joining and realizing how much work they have put in to serve our country,' Ryan said. The last notable military parade in Washington D.C. was in 1991 to celebrate the U.S. victory in the first Gulf War. On Tuesday, president Donald Trump had this message for people planning to protest at the parade 'For those people who want to protest they are going to be met with very big force,' Trump said. 'It should be an exciting weekend, whether either for or against it. It's going to be something unique that South Dakota has and the state the union hasn't seen in a long time,' Military Heritage Alliance Executive Director, Brian Phelps the people at the Military Heritage Alliance are looking forward to watch. 'I think all in all, this country is still very supportive of our military. And like the alliance celebrating America and those who served,' Phelps said. Saturday's parade will start at the National Mall and end near the White House and is estimated to cost upwards of $25 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'It was a trigger for me to be left waiting': Sinn Féin's Nicole Ryan recalls 'torture' after miscarriage
It was early 2024 and Nicole Ryan was in transit through Heathrow Airport when she found out she was pregnant. She was on her way home to Cork after a work trip when she made the discovery. However, on arriving home, Ms Ryan realised she knew very little about what her pregnancy would look like. 'I started to realise that I actually didn't know enough about pregnancy, what it entails, what's normal, what's not normal,' Ms Ryan said. Ms Ryan, a Sinn Féin senator, entered politics relatively recently. She stood for the party in the last general election in Cork North West. She is also a long-time drug education campaigner, taking up the mantle after her brother, Alex Ryan, died in 2016 after he took a deadly designer drug at a house party. This saw her establish Alex's Adventure, a drug education programme which has provided information to over 13,000 post-primary students. Symptoms In the early weeks of her pregnancy, Ms Ryan began to show symptoms that something might have been wrong. 'I got to about seven weeks and, at seven weeks, I started to kind of bleed,' she said. On the advice of a public health nurse, Ms Ryan opted to head to the emergency department at Cork University Hospital (CUH). It was here that an ultrasound found there was a heartbeat. She felt it was a 'joyous moment' in her pregnancy, but she tried not to get overly excited as she wanted to wait until her 12 week scan to be sure. However, just days away from the scan, Ms Ryan went out for dinner and found that she experienced some cramping during the evening. I was like 'that can be normal, it can happen'. I went to bed, but woke up at 5am, and I just knew that something was off Ms Ryan described how she woke up 'covered in blood' and drove to CUH in the early hours. She said: 'I begged and pleaded with anything that this wasn't happening, but I knew what was happening.' Ms Ryan was later told that her pregnancy had not progressed beyond seven weeks. Nicole Ryan: 'I'd be like 'why me', or 'what could I have done better', or 'did I do enough'.' Picture: Moya Nolan She described the 'torture' of the medical intervention to end the pregnancy, needing two courses to fully complete the procedure. 'Luckily, or unluckily, I was made redundant five days prior to the miscarriage, so I wasn't in work," she said. "I don't know how I would have managed, because I could barely manage being with people or around my friends," she said. 'I just started bawling crying' Ms Ryan says that, in the weeks after, having to sit in waiting rooms became a trigger that reminded her of the time spent waiting for scans and the bad news that followed. 'I had a dentist's appointment and the dentist was running late, so I was just sitting in the waiting room. I was by myself and, all of a sudden, I just started bawling crying. 'It was a trigger for me to just be left waiting.' The pain of the loss got so bad that Ms Ryan described having a 'bit of a breakdown' in mid-July, as she and her partner were preparing to travel to a wedding. I knew that there was a woman there, and she got pregnant around the same time as me, and just the thought of seeing her was enough "The thoughts that I would have, just being so envious and just feeling horrible. 'I'd be like 'why me', or 'what could I have done better', or 'did I do enough'. It's not your fault, but there is a shame and stigma attached to it and nobody talks about it. 'It's like you're almost not allowed to acknowledge the loss,' Ms Ryan added. Lack of support She says she has spoken to a lot of women in recent months to hear their stories, with the lack of support being highlighted as a key failing of the State. 'Women's reproductive healthcare is still so far behind." Ms Ryan said her own experience with miscarriage is what kickstarted her entrance into politics, running in the general election. While she didn't make it over the line in the general election, Ms Ryan did manage to take a seat on the Seanad's administrative panel. Now, she plans to bring forward legislation to support women who miscarry. The proposed legislation would provide women who miscarry five days of paid 'pregnancy loss-related leave', while their partners would be able to avail of 2.5 days. The legislation would also introduce a new opt-in register, allowing women to record their pregnancy loss with the State. 'Your loss is valid,' Ms Ryan said. 'This bill isn't going to fix all the problems, but it's just that recognition. Here's your certificate, it happened. For a lot of women, that means the world.' Read More Cork students campaign to break stigma around miscarriage and infertility in schools
