Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all three doctors for attending. Dr. Rhona Mahony left us with a huge silence and a question in regard to the X case. The five women who had had abortions, some of them many years ago, who came to speak to us are left with deep scars in the same way that a physical injury leaves physical scars. Their scars have faded, but they have a lot of the answers which this legislation is trying to address, yet their request to attend the discussion on the Bill was declined. That is a screaming silence which more than matches the question from Dr. Mahony that left us with a stunning silence.

I say, "Thank you from my heart," on my own behalf and that of my family to all the doctors, obstetricians, gynaecologists, general practitioners, surgeons, nurses and midwives who assisted in the births of my children. I had the honour of attending all four births, each of which was a wonderful miracle. I hope the witnesses ask themselves from time to time the question of when they believe life begins. The sanctity and miracle of life, whether in plants or animals or human beings, are utterly important. Is Dr. Peter Boylan aware, to go with the bad science point, that it is now legal in Britain to mix hybrids of humans and animals? Scientists are allowed to work on these in laboratories until the hybrids reach 14 days gestation, at which point they must be destroyed. That is bad science.