Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The reason we changed the rules in the House is to ensure that people can introduce legislation if they wish by way of a Private Members' Bill. The Deputy should understand that.

I am not a medical person but it seems to me that the breaking of a pelvis for the purposes of child birth was a practice that belongs to the dark ages. That has been replaced by much more modern treatments for giving birth.

I take the Deputy's point. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, is studying the court judgment, which was very clear in respect of the person from County Louth who was courageous enough to appear on television and to give her views, both about the court case - which she won on a technicality, as the Deputy said - but also about the pain she feels every night and morning as a result of a treatment that was carried out many years ago.

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