Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Twenty one years is a long time to wait for a Supreme Court decision to become law, but the fact that the Bill is before us represents progress. It will be an historic day next month when it is enacted.

As the Minister of State said, the Labour Party has campaigned for this legislation since the Supreme Court judgment. We knew it was essential in the context of the debate on women's health. The programme for Government contains a commitment to implement the recommendations of the expert group on the ECHR judgment in the A, B and C v. Ireland case and the Supreme Court's judgment in the X case. I am proud that this commitment has been met in the legislation.

The issue before us has the ability to divide opinion in Ireland like no other. I vividly recall the 1983 referendum campaign and the strength of feeling in both camps at the time. I was in college and recall debates late into the night on the issue. Then, like now, the debate has brought out the best and the worst in people on both sides. Over time, the moderate voice has often been drowned out easily when the debate has been in full flow. While this legislation was in process, I received all types of correspondence and it was all different in tone and content. I received postcards, DVDs, text messages, handwritten letters, telephone calls, e-mails and visits to my office. Most of this communication has been civil, but some of it has been unpleasant. If those campaigners had put as much energy into campaigning for children's rights, Ireland would be a different place.

The debate is about the lives of women and making sure they have access to the medical treatment they need when they need it. When the Bill is passed, there will be improved clarity on what procedures can be carried out when they are needed. That will be a positive development for women's health, although I fully accept that the legislation will mean that some women who need terminations because of fatal foetal abnormalities will still have to go overseas to ensure their lives are protected. We should not export health care problems. I trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies and health.

This legislation is long overdue and its introduction is in line with the commitment given in the programme for Government. It reflects the recommendations of the expert group and the intentions of the people. I support it for all these reasons.

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