Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

People tell us not to rehash the debate on the referendum. The pro-life Deputies have tabled 16 out of the 180 amendments. We are looking for a deviation 16 times and the others are pro-choice deviations. If we stuck to the Bill, we would not be here at this stage. There is an opportunity for respectful opposition. If opposition is deleted, we will have a worse Bill. We need to test the Bill rigorously at all stages.

I have sympathy for Deputy Nolan's amendment. It does not relate to serious threats to the health of the mother or to the life of the mother in any way. Deputy Donnelly mentioned this point, but Deputy Durkan ignored the voice. Those two sections of the Bill are not covered by this amendment.

There are many people who like myself have a conscientious objection to the issue of abortion. Freedom of conscience is an important element of our society and people feel that their taxes are going to pay for an operation which in their heart and soul they radically oppose. That is one of the reasons for the amendment. As I said earlier, I was surprised by the level of opposition to this element on the street when I met and talked to people. As Deputy Durkan said, there is an opportunity cost, if one pays €12 million for this service, that €12 million is not available for emergency scoliosis operations.