Ms Liz McDermott:

We come at the problem from different perspectives, philosophically. Deputy Daly, in principle, supports abortion as a procedure and a solution to a crisis pregnancy or problem pregnancy. I do not see it as a solution to anything, because when someone is pregnant, she is pregnant. One cannot turn the clock back. It does not make her un-pregnant, and it is certainly a harrowing event for her baby, who is still her baby. I know that there can be all sorts of circumstances and I am not trying to judge anybody in this.

However, I would say that abortion becomes an industry. There are people who have vested interests in making abortion available. There is profit in all of this too, and that can lead to a certain amount of pressure on women. I do not want to get into an ideological debate with members on this, because I am not qualified to answer all of these questions. We either uphold the right to life and apply it to all our citizens, regardless of whether they are at the beginning of life, at the end of life or sick during life, or we start to qualify it. We bracket out certain cohorts, or we say that it is not for us to say who has the right to life. I say this with all sensitivity. I understand the difficulties women in particular are in.