Irish Aids Day 2026: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-17 ============================================================ Maria McCormack (SF), Labour Panel I am really delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this today. I have to say that every time Senator Clonan speaks, he educates me. He speaks extremely well in the way he articulates things. I just want to take a moment to say that. He was talking about his friend Patrick in 1985 and how much we have come on from then. He mentioned that the song "Sign o' the Times" came out in 1987, which was the year I was born. It just tells us how much we have come on but how hard that journey has been for people. We have heard the stories and we have heard about the stigma. There still so much of it there, but our job in this House is to make sure we continue every day to keep raising awareness about the progress, treatment, education and stigma. We must also make sure that everything is brought to light in this Chamber, as was done yesterday evening for the new domestic violence register, and we must leave nothing under the stone any more. I welcome our visitors to the Gallery. It is great to have them there. Irish AIDS Day is an important opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made while also recognising the work that still lies ahead. Thanks to significant advances in medicine and treatment, HIV is no longer the diagnosis it once was. People living with HIV can now live long, healthy and fulfilling lives. However, although science has advanced, stigma and discrimination have not disappeared. This is the point that I really wanted to focus on. Too many people still feel unable to speak openly about their diagnosis because of fear of judgment and misunderstanding. No one should have to carry that burden. We must continue to challenge the misinformation that exists, because it does exist, and ensure accurate education and awareness throughout our communities. As a Senator from Laois, I am particularly conscious of the importance of ensuring equal access to healthcare services for people living in rural and regional communities. Whether someone lives in Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Abbeyleix or a smaller village, they should have the same access to testing, prevention services and specialist support services as someone living up here in the city. Access to free, confidential and easily accessible HIV testing is essential. Early diagnosis saves lives, improves outcomes and reduces onward transmission. We therefore have to make sure everything available in urban areas is also available regionally. We must continue to support and expand access to preventative measures such as PrEP. The Minister talked about that and I was delighted to hear that she is looking for community pharmacy engagement in that regard. Anything we can do to work prophylactically and prevent an issue from arising is important. Ensuring services are available to everyone who needs them, regardless of where they live, is vital. Sinn Féin believes healthcare should always be based on need. That is very important. It should not be based on one's eircode, income or background, or whether one has private health insurance; it should be based on need. No one should be disadvantaged because of any of the reasons I have mentioned. I acknowledge the dedicated work of healthcare professionals, community organisations, advocates and volunteers who support people living with HIV every day and who continue to challenge stigma and promote inclusion. Ireland has committed to ending new HIV transmissions and eliminating HIV-related stigma. These are ambitious but very achievable goals. We need to own this in the Chamber to make sure we do our part to help. Let us recommit ourselves to building an Ireland that is compassionate, informed and inclusive, an Ireland where every person living with HIV is treated with dignity, respect and equality. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-17/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:04+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-17