Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I mean this as no criticism but I agree with Senator Ruane that in terms of bias and speaking time, Senator Mullen and Deputy McGrath have had far more speaking time allocated than was given to other members. I believe the Chairman gave extreme latitude to those members to the committee, and I understand why she did so, but it was not appreciated, which is regrettable. There are certain groups that appear before this committee - medical professionals operating in this State - who hold more weight than medical professionals operating outside this State because they are operating within the current legal regime we are seeking to change. The general practitioners' group, the Master and former Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street and the Master of the Rotunda Hospital are individuals who are working every day with mothers, pregnant women and children. The suggestion that they are somehow motivated by some sort of less than honourable motive is totally discredited. I believe their motivations are sincere, honest, genuine and in the best interests of women's health. It is very difficult to ignore medical professional after medical professional appearing before this committee telling us that the eighth amendment is not in the best interests of women's health. It is very difficult to ignore that.

Regarding the suggestion that the committee is biased because somehow we are not 50-50, the country is not 50-50 on either side. It is my view that a majority in this country wants at least some change and I believe this committee is representative of that. Every member of this committee had an opportunity to suggest witnesses, which we all did. We had to justify why those witnesses should appear before this committee and why the State should foot the bill for them to travel if they were going to travel. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the same process as happens with every committee. Regarding the witnesses who chose not to attend, that was not this committee's doing. We invited them to attend but they chose not to do so. Regarding the suggestion that a statement from those particular groups would be read into the record because they did not want to come here and take questions, we cannot question that evidence so it is clearly not the same as evidence given to a committee when a person physically attends and can take questions.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are certain members of this committee who have sought at every opportunity to undermine the work of this committee and, quite frankly, I found the consistent attack on the Chairman to be unbelievable. I think she deserves a medal at the end of this for her patience. She has been consistently under attack at every opportunity and it is not a personal thing. It is part of the process that has been engaged in by certain members to undermine our work. I believe the public has seen through that. At the end of the day, this committee will not decide on what happens to the eighth amendment and whether it is retained, amended or repealed. The people of this country will decide and that is something we must bear in mind.