Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the representatives of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and thank them for the manner in which they have engaged with the committee in order to help to inform us and, by extension, perhaps the general public also. My question also comes back to the rights of the unborn. To what extent has the council considered this in its deliberations? Does it have a specific policy in regard to the unborn in the same way as it has done such an exceptionally good job in regard to expectant mothers? Does Dr. Brady believe that the envisaged legislation, as we understand it, is too limited and perhaps might even be inoperable?

I note that Mr. Mark Kelly of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said last month that Ireland should seize this opportunity to have a thorough overhaul of the antediluvian laws relating to abortion. Is that also the position of the council? Is it also suggesting there should be a much more liberal abortion regime and that abortion should be there as of right? Is that also the position of the council? I remind people that representatives of the medical profession yesterday stated that they could not cite one specific case of a maternal death. Therefore to what extent do we have antediluvian laws or are we actually questioning the medical profession?