John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I beg the indulgence of the visitors, and I will speak while sitting as I am a little too tall for the microphone. I have a number of rather focused questions and wish to direct them to Dr. Jones and Father Bartlett. We do not have exact figures, but it appears approximately 30 terminations of pregnancy are conducted annually in Ireland for reasons of threat to the life of the mother. It is likely none of these have been because of suicide, although we are not sure. It is also the general consensus of the obstetricians who testified to us that under the current constitutional situation they are not aware of any case where a woman has been denied a life-saving termination because of an ethical or religious scruple on the part of the doctor. Given the fact that medicine is getting a bit better - I know mothers are getting a little bit older - it is likely we are dealing with a phenomenon which under the legislation to be proposed under the current constitutional and judicial framework will apply to approximately 30 people per annum.

In truth, most of the objection being raised comes from Roman Catholicism, through the organised church and sincere members of the laity who subscribe to its teachings, and it is that somehow this number will increase dramatically. However, the witnesses have stated to us they do not believe there will be an abuse of the system by women spuriously claiming to be suicidal or by doctors spuriously diagnosing suicidality to impose social abortions. What is the mechanism the witnesses believe will lead to this incredible increase in abortion? I am troubled to know what it is. I cannot work out hypothetically what it would be because I do not believe the Supreme Court, given what we already have in our Constitution and what will come onto the Statute Book, will interpret it differently.

I would also like each of our esteemed guests in turn to tell me on behalf of their organisations, the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Methodism, Sunni Islam and Orthodox Judaism, whether a woman is allowed to rise to the top job in the organisation.