Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have long held the view that any woman who finds herself in a position with an unwanted pregnancy is in a difficult and dark place. A woman with an unwanted pregnancy and with additional suicidal tendencies, I am sure we would agree, is in an even darker place. That is the challenge for us as legislators, with all due respect to the people on my left, as well as the medical witnesses yesterday and the witnesses who attended on Friday. As has previously been said, this does happen, although it may be rare. Some of those who attended on Friday described the occurrences as very rare, which is a good and welcome fact. Nevertheless, this is the reality and as legislators we must deal with it.

I cannot get into all the arguments because of time constraints but one of the main reasons given for not introducing this proposed legislation is the terrible question of "floodgates". The floodgates have been open since the mid 1960s, and the accumulated figure is shameful. It takes in our neighbours and friends. The floodgates have opened but we are not dealing with them.

To paraphrase Mr. Callanan, he indicated that this was a "conservative" Bill. I am one of the people who will vote on it and I see it as a very conservative Bill because it is dealing with a very restricted area. That may change. If, for the sake of argument, the legislation passes in July and if somebody finds themselves in a position of having an unwanted pregnancy with suicidal tendencies, do we really believe the person will go a GP, psychiatrist or get a draft of the Bill from a politician? That person will not do so but she will travel to England instead.