Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I anticipated that the Minister might present that argument. I would argue strongly, however, that there is a fundamental distinction at issue here. In one case, we are talking about somebody who has expressed the belief that there are no circumstances in which it is justified to carry out a termination to save a woman's life. Quite a number of medical practitioners have expressed that genuinely held conviction. The reality, however, is that we are legislating to the effect that there are, in fact, situations where terminations are required or justified in order to save a woman's life. That position is being enshrined in our law and it runs counter to the views expressed by certain medical professionals.