Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 January 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Implementation of Government Decision Following Expert Group Report into Matters Relating to A, B and C v. Ireland

10:30 am

Photo of Robert DowdsRobert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Two days ago we heard medical experts, the masters of several maternity hospitals, who urged us to legislate because of the difficulties in which they operate. Whatever legislation we produce will be restricted by the 1983 amendment to the Constitution. Will the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in particular consider this issue in a fuller way than it has done so to date? Life is not always as straightforward as we would like it to be and we as legislators have a duty to act and to sort out the difficult situation in which we find ourselves. I know that over time the position of the Catholic Church on life has changed. I understand that Aquinas, who I think is regarded as the greatest Catholic theologian, had a somewhat different view from that being expressed by the officialdom of the church.

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