Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I get into the substance of what Deputy Nolan is trying to do, the amendment is tabled to the wrong section of the Bill. This section has nothing to do with eligibility. That is section 25, which deals with the amendment to the Health Act. This section is in every piece of legislation. It allows the Minister of the day to administer the Bill. Funnily enough, I will not be involved in the termination of services. That will be done through the medical profession and through the eligibility section of the legislation, which is section 25.

To give the Deputy guidance, if she wants to do what she wants to do, and I will get onto the problem I have with that in a moment, she should be amending section 25 that deals with the Health Act and not this section of the Bill, which is a standard section in every Bill that comes before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Even if the amendment did what the Deputy wanted to do and was accepted it would not achieve what she is endeavouring to achieve. For the Deputy's considerations on Report Stage, this is not the correct place in the Bill. The correct place is the eligibility section, which is section 25. This is the first flaw in the amendment. Then there is the sheer humanity flaw in terms of why the Deputy wants me to ask hospitals to send bills to women who have had fatal foetal abnormalities in our maternity hospitals or to a woman who has been in a car crash and has almost died and has a serious risk to her health. Why should I not care for these women in our hospitals today?

Here is some breaking news. Women are taxpayers. This is about providing services for women, so when we talk about taxpayers it is not a clear and distinct group of people that is different from the group of people who will benefit from the legislation. Women are taxpayers and the people voted overwhelmingly for this legislation. I thought it was the policy of the party of which the Deputy was a member, it is the policy of most people in the Oireachtas and it is certainly the policy of Sláintecare, to which I believe almost all of us have all signed up, that we will move towards universality. As we bring in new services usually in the House I get into significant difficulty if I am not providing it on a universal basis and if I decide cost is a barrier. Should I send women who have been raped a bill?