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

Following on from Deputy Coppinger, there are a few bits of this amendment to which I would draw attention. There is factually incorrect information, to my mind deliberately designed to cause hurt and pain to not only the women who have been affected but perhaps the men in their lives and their families as well.

Also, there is some wholly irresponsible language in the amendment with reference to the DVD. I tried to not read too much into it when I was reading this last night. The idea that non-medically qualified Deputies would try to prescribe in legislation something that, as a pharmacist, I would say is dangerous, namely, to suggest that women would be given information suggesting that they take a medicinal product somehow to reverse abortion pills that they have taken, in my mind could lead to some very serious consequences. People need to be aware of the irresponsibility and danger in some of these amendments.

It is part of our job and what many of us are trying to do to get the best legislation possible, but by tabling amendments that are deliberately designed to cause pain to women and families, it is almost implied that there is a necessity to put this in because if we did not, all these awful things would happen. In this amendment, we have a very good example of the destructive nature of this grouping of amendments. There are so many parts to it. On the reference to the pain of the foetus, we heard the evidence from world experts at the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution that this is not factually correct.

I agree with the previous speakers that it is misogynistic in its essence. It is irresponsible and dangerous. It is an attempt to stigmatise women. As the Minister stated, it all comes down to the notion that the people made a decision to trust women, and these amendments all have that historical contamination of not trusting women. We would all be, as the public would be, very conscious of what is being tried to be achieved in this amendment, but I do not believe it will not be achieved.