A perinatal psychiatrist at the National Maternity Hospital has described the situation of a woman who says she was refused an abortion after making an attempt on her life as a 'nightmare'.

Dr Anthony McCarthy also says the current law on abortion in Ireland is too narrow to help the vast majority of women who are distressed during pregnancy.

In an interview with the Irish Times, the woman says she expressed her desire to die after finding out she was eight weeks pregnant and attempted suicide at 16 weeks.

The woman says she immediately expressed her desire to die rather than bear her rapist's child. This was when she was eight weeks and four days pregnant.

It is understood the woman - who is not Irish - could not leave the country to have a termination, due to her legal status. She told the Irish Times that "in my culture it is a great shame to be pregnant if not married."

She is said to have been seeing a counsellor between her eighth and sixteenth weeks of pregnancy, but was not seen by a psychiatrist during that time.

After being admitted to hospital at 24 weeks pregnant, an expert panel agreed that she was suicidal and that a termination should be carried out.

However it was then decided that the pregnancy was too far gone and that her baby would be delivered early by C-section.

In the Irish Times interview, the woman says "when I came to this country I thought I could forget suffering...The scar [from the C-section] will never go away. It will always be a reminder. I still suffer."

An expert panel agreed she was suicidal but because she was 24 weeks into her pregnancy it was considered too late to carry out a termination and the baby was delivered by caesarian section.

Dr McCarthy warned on Newstalk Lunchtime that a similar situation will arise again.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116-123, or email jo@samaritans.org

Irish Times journalist Kitty Holland, who has spoken to the woman, described the situation on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

You can listen to the full interview with Kitty Holland here.

Meanwhile, a leading obstetrician is adding his voice to calls for another referendum on abortion in Ireland. Dr Peter Boylan says the 8th Amendment of the Constitution should be repealed.

Originally published 9:00am