A Labour Senator says the current three-day waiting period for abortion services means the State does not trust women.
Annie Hoey was speaking as a review of the existing laws around termination of pregnancy was launched.
The review will consult with medical practitioners and service users to see if the laws around abortion can work better.
But Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says he is not happy with the levels of availability of abortion services across the country.
Minister Donnelly says the review will not impact the Government's view on the actual policy of abortion, but rather how it is rolled out.
Under currently legislation, a person can have an abortion up to 12 weeks (84 days) of pregnancy.
However there must be at least three days between being certified and having the abortion procedure.
Official HSE advice states: "This delay of at least three days can give you time to decide for sure if you want to go ahead with the abortion."
Senator Hoey told The Hard Shoulder a much wider review should be looked at.
"I think that's what an awful lot of NGOs and activist groups were certainly led to believe three years ago, when this legislation was first going through the House.
"I've had comments from a number of people who would have been legislators at the time, saying 'We were told that the review in three years' time was going to look at everything - not just the operation of the legislation'.
"So I think an awful lot of people today were really, really surprised when the Minister went very hard on the line that this was going to be about the operation and not about the policy."
'It is demeaning'
She says this seems to be at odds with other, similar reviews.
"I think this a little bit out of sync with how other reviews have happened.
"Reviews of operation of legislation have always included the operation of criteria and exclusions.
"And I think this interpretation is a little bit at odds with that of his colleagues".
Senator Hoey says the three-day waiting period needs to be examined.
"I certainly would like to see the three-day waiting period to be considered.
"I think it is demeaning, I think it says that we don't trust women or pregnant people to know their own their own bodies, their own minds, their own thoughts, their own decision-making.
"I think it puts people into a difficult position, particularly people who are coming very close to the 12-week limit - which is another thing.
"And when we think about things like not every county even has access to an abortion provider.
"If you're in Sligo, you have to travel outside of the county and you have to do that three days later again."
