Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will speak directly to the amendment because it forms part of a pattern where seemingly reasonable proposals are being put forward that then undo themselves. Informing parents is a reasonable goal but not in the way proposed for all the reasons we have discussed because it would include informing a father who raped his daughter and made her pregnant. Ultrasound scans are a reasonable idea but we should not force every woman in the country to have them when they are not necessary. Pain relief in an operating theatre is a reasonable idea but legislation does not reach into operating theatres and dictate which instruments, drugs and procedures our surgeons use in any operation in any hospital or in any general practice. Informed consent is a good idea but that is not what this amendment does. This amendment states exactly what needs to be printed on brochures. I doubt there is any other legislation that determines such matters. This amendment specifies the technology and platforms to use. It specifies an IT maintenance programme and security for websites. As the pharmacist in the room stated, this amendment specifies what she believes could be substantively dangerous medical and pharmaceutical advice. Yet again, we have the kernel of a reasonable proposal, which is informed consent, brought forward in a way that no legislature anywhere in the world could pass in primary legislation.

I want to speak specifically to the start of the amendment because it has been claimed by several of those proposing it that the amendment is nothing more than an offer of information. That sounds very reasonable. They are saying they just want to offer women information and who could argue with that? The amendment states that "no termination of pregnancy shall be carried out without the voluntary and informed consent of the pregnant woman". It then states that consent to a termination of pregnancy "is voluntary and informed" only if all the following happens and then sets out a list of mad stuff. That is not an offer.