Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

It was suggested to me by doctors that it might be appropriate to consider it for representation. It has a great role to play in medical research.

On Committee Stage we can tease out these issues further but, as I stated, one of the first points made by the White Paper published in the United Kingdom is that doctors should not be in the majority on regulatory bodies. Many countries are examining this idea.

Let me address a point made by Deputy Twomey that I found rather bizarre and which I do not want to let go. He said that if a Minister such as Deputy Martin were again Minister for Health and Children, he might give a direction to the Medical Council on stem cell research and the termination of pregnancies. I do not understand this. Abortion is illegal under the Constitution.

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