James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----that medical practice dictates that one act with expediency. One does not have the luxury of sitting there twiddling one's thumbs if there is a conscientious objection. If a conscientious objection is made known, then one must act with all reasonable speed to ensure the patient is transferred to another doctor who can meet the patient's medical need.

We are stipulating in law for the first time Deputy Ó Cuív's contribution regarding consulting the GP. The literature is scattered with legal cases on malpractice where this did not happen, and had the consultant picked up the phone to the GP, the outcome might have been different. We are stipulating here that this action must be taken where it is practicable. We know, for example, that some women do not have GPs, or that they may not want to consent to that. They may also face a problem in which a GP is ill or unavailable or on a prolonged sojourn out of the country.

While I fully subscribe to the sentiment of these amendments, they are superfluous and I urge members of the committee not to support them.