Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution

Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Constitutional Issues Arising from the Citizens Assembly Recommendations

1:30 pm

Photo of Peter FitzpatrickPeter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their submissions. There is no doubt that this is an emotive topic which divides opinion in all areas of society. Indeed, opinion is divided in many households. Both sides of the debate have very different views and it is important to listen to all views before we make a decision. Not only that, we must respect each other's views and opinions. Personally, I am against abortion on demand. My fear is that if abortion on demand is introduced, it could become another form of contraception. We all know that it is not simply a case of either introducing abortion or not introducing it. My personal view is that we need to look at cases where a pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, where it could place the life of the mother at risk or where it could result in fatal foetal abnormalities. I have specific questions for the witnesses and I address them also to all members.

We all know friends and family who have family members with Down's syndrome. Statistics show that 90% of babies diagnosed with Down's syndrome have their lives terminated by abortion. Even more alarming is the fact that 100% of babies diagnosed with Down's syndrome are aborted in Iceland. I would be very interested to hear people's views on this and on whether they accept that we could have the same situation here should abortion on demand be introduced.

I listened very closely to each of the opening statements and was shocked that no one mentioned the rights of the unborn. I would be very interested to hear people's views on the rights of the unborn and whether they believe they have any. What measures can we take to ensure that the rights of the unborn, along with those of the mother, are protected? I said last week here that a baby's heart beats 21 days after conception. Facial features start to form at week 4, internal lungs begin to form at week 6, the nervous system is responsive at week 8, babies are swallowing, yawning and sucking at week 9 and the baby stretches and jumps at week 11.

Professor Mullally stated that the commission is of the view that a new framework on access to abortion in Ireland should place the decision-making process primarily in the hands of the pregnant woman in consultation with a doctor. What would happen if both parties had a different view? For example, what if the woman wanted to terminate the pregnancy but her doctor was against it?

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