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

It must be the saddest thing of all to have the joy of childbirth followed by the news that one's child is not going to live and the pain that causes parents. We have had a long discussion here about the difficulties around the issue of terminal illness and how we define it. Perhaps this provides us with an opportunity to refine that definition to benefit people as best we can. It seems churlish to mention budgets in the context of this conversation but that is a reality. Nonetheless, in terms of priorities, I cannot think of a greater priority than palliative care for children.