Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, that is amendment No. 146 to section 22(9)(c) on page 23. It also states "that the materials referred to", which I presume are the counter-abortion materials, "in subsection (7) shall include: (a) information to a woman contemplating abortion of public and private agencies and services available to assist a woman through pregnancy, upon childbirth, and while her child is dependent including, but not limited to, adoption agencies."

Let us look at these situations. During the course of the special committee hearings we studied at great length the situation in which many women found themselves. They want support and advice of a non-directive nature that would be fair, even-handed and would help them to make the decision in their own interests. We must remember that they may have a particular medical or mental condition that created an urgency. I fail to understand how it is intended to be helpful to women to put them through this extra trauma at this crucial and vulnerable time in their lives.

Someone made reference or objection to the fact that misogyny was part of this. It may well be or not be intended to be so but it is very anti-women. It is very anti allowing women to have any choice of their own at all. It takes out of the hands of the woman who is pregnant, and may have a crisis pregnancy, the ability to go anywhere other than follow the directions set out in this section. That is appalling. I doubt if that could be applied to any other element, group or anybody else in society. I have strong objections to creating the feeling, notion or impression that society should control women in this fashion. I do not want to go back to the things which we spoke about yesterday but I do want to say this.

Society has to look at itself very carefully all of the time. I thought we had come out of this type of amendment. Society should try to understand situations and make sure that fairness, due process and natural justice apply. It is important that everyone is treated reasonably fairly. I know it does not always happen in society. I mentioned Thomas Hardy's book, Far from the madding crowd, before. It is a great example of where society chooses to ignore and the tragic consequences that occur. Those tragic consequences occur, and will occur, because society has decided to interfere in a clumsy fashion in the life of the individual in a way that is oppressive. I am appalled.