Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are ensuring the woman who makes the choice, as many will, to go to full term with her pregnancy in the knowledge that her baby will die within hours or days will be supported. That is a valid choice that many women will make and we are not supporting such women well enough. That is why we are putting in proposals in respect of perinatal hospice care and ensuring that women have better access to scanning. That is why we are ensuring we can take action on contraception in order to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies in Ireland. I very much hope that those campaigning to retain the eighth amendment will at least welcome that broader access to contraception is a good thing if one wishes to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies. Their silence on the issue has been deafening. I hope that is not the stance of any Member of the House. Regardless of whether one is for or against the eighth amendment, surely, the idea of trying to reduce crisis pregnancies and provide better sex education for children and better access to contraception is a good thing. I have yet to hear that being welcomed by those outside this House who wish to retain the eighth amendment and I hope we at least can unify in that regard.