Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My amendment No. 9 is very much related to amendment No. 7. I take on board what the Minister said about the legal advice. I am concerned about the language here. We have spoken a number of times this morning about respecting the will expressed by the people in May. In keeping with that sense, we must constantly focus on who is the person at the centre of all of this, which is the woman. The people voted for the woman to be placed at the centre and she is the person who is capable of carrying a pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant she is not carrying a life, as such, but carrying a pregnancy. Everywhere the legislation states "to end the life of a foetus", I have proposed that we change the words to "end a pregnancy" because the language is too foetus-centric or focused on the foetus rather than the woman or person carrying the pregnancy. A woman may have a pregnancy and wish to end it. She does not have a life that she wishes to end.

I agree with Deputy Donnelly's reference to the carrying over of language from the past into this legislation. I am most concerned about that, notwithstanding the medical and legal advice that the Minister has received. We can go around the houses forever, and we have done previously, defining when life begins and never agree. I imagine that we would all agree when pregnancy begins. Everyone can have different feelings about when life begins but we cannot have legislation based on feelings. I accept what the Minister has said but I am uncomfortable with the language. We should be able to reserve the right to have meetings with officials in the Department, law experts and medical people and consider the matter when we debate Report Stage in the Dáil. If this matter cannot be changed then, so be it. There is a general feeling, having listened to people here who spoke in favour of these amendments, that the language is negative and is not woman-centred.