Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae might like to come to my house some day at 7 a.m. when there is a protest outside. Some of the things that are said and the things left behind are scandalous.

I welcome the opportunity to express my support for the Bill before us. It is not often that we hear an Opposition spokesperson commending the Taoiseach and the Government for the introduction of legislation. The comments by Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in this regard were most welcome. He praised the Government for persisting with the introduction of these provisions, despite opposition from a variety of groups and organisations. I agree with his comment that we may be seeing a piece of history in the making.

The Bill is complex in legal terms, but I found the testimony of the medical and legal experts to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children very helpful. I refer, in particular, to the evidence given by Dr. Rhona Mahony, Master of Holles Street hospital; Professor Veronica O'Keane, professor of psychiatry at UCD and consultant psychiatrist at Tallaght hospital; and Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness, all of whom provided great clarity on many aspects of the Bill.

Dr. Mahony observed that both medical practitioners and women required legal protection if there was to be sufficient flexibility to allow for professional clinical decisions based on the medical probability, as opposed to certainty, of a risk to life. The Bill will meet the requirement of affording the medical profession greater clarity when making decisions in cases of emergency. Dr. Mahony also expressed the view that the proposed legislation, because it would facilitate termination of pregnancy only in extremely rare scenarios, was not likely to lead to widespread abortion in Ireland, yet we have heard claims that it will lead to precisely that. In fact, Dr. Mahony offered an assurance that clinicians in Ireland would continue to work tirelessly to preserve life in all circumstances. That is a very strong statement from a prominent professional who deals with pregnant women every day in the course of her work.

Professor O'Keane indicated her view that legislation for abortion, where a woman's life was at risk because of mental health problems, was a minimum and necessary requirement. She went on to say it was especially necessary in order to protect the lives of those women who were unable to travel to Britain or elsewhere to obtain an abortion.

Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness, meanwhile, pointed out that the claim that we had no abortion in Ireland was simply not true, given that thousands were travelling abroad every year for that purpose. She described the legislation as an effort to regularise the current situation whereby thousands were travelling and as a sensible response to what she described as a human situation, as well as a legal question. The views of these medical and legal experts, for whom I have the highest regard, offer adequate assurance that the Bill is balanced and must be enacted without further delay.

As a legislator, I am aware that the legislation is long overdue, 20 years being far too long to wait for this very complex subject to be addressed. The women who do not write to, telephone or e-mail their public representatives deserve to have their voices heard. They are the silent witnesses who face a very difficult choice. Whether it is a 14 year old rape victim or a woman who, for reasons we can only imagine, has been brought to the edge of despair by a crisis pregnancy, all are deserving of compassion. As legislators, we owe it to them to ensure the Bill is enacted.

As a mother, I have experienced both the joys of giving birth and the sorrow of losing babies. I have the greatest sympathy for any woman who is faced with making the difficult decision to seek a termination of her pregnancy.

In the past few months I have given great thought to the contents of the Bill. I have listened carefully to all sides of the debate and I am in no doubt that the legislation, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, will give every possible protection to the life of the mother and her unborn child, as its title states.

I am grateful to all those who contributed and shared their expertise in framing the Bill. It is appropriate at this stage to thank the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, Deputy Jerry Buttimer, for the fairness of the manner in which he chaired the hearings. The contributions of all parliamentarians led to a passionate and very open debate. In particular, the contributions of Deputies Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and Billy Kelleher were very valuable. The respect given to all those who participated in the debate, regardless of opposing views, is also to be commended. I commend the Bill to the House and hope it will be passed.

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