The Minister may have heard the case of a UCD medical student who was raped and had image-based sexual abuse used against her. As a result of being raped, she became pregnant. She had to have a termination and missed some of her medical exams due to having to schedule that. She asked UCD if she could resit her exams over the summer but UCD said no. It attempted to make her drop back a year, into the year in which her rapist was also a student. She was then forced to take High Court action to try to stop UCD putting her into the assailant's year. UCD fought the case, won and, two weeks after the second case of image abuse against her, it pursued the rape victim for a couple of hundred thousand in costs against her. She has not been able to continue her medical degree since 2023, as UCD has blocked her from doing so. Is it good enough that UCD is happy or okay to have a rapist studying medicine but not a rape victim? What can be done to make UCD help this student finish her degree as soon as possible, so she is not further punished for being a victim?

I have seen some of the reporting on this online and it is shocking what that particular student experienced. UCD or, indeed, any third level institution should work with a student who has undergone shocking circumstances. Any third level institution or education institution should be working in a way that allows such a student to finish her studies, in a way that would reflect all of our institutions in second or third level. I would call on UCD to work with the student to allow her to complete her studies. She has gone through enough. I was shocked, as indeed everyone in this House has been, about what she has been subjected to in the recent period. It is incumbent on every public institution to work with her, so she can complete her studies. She has gone through enough.