Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My position on the issue is known for a very long time. I am on public record for more than 25 years as to how this issue should be dealt with. There is no doubt about it. It has not always been a popular position or one that has commanded support across all parties in this House. I was deeply disturbed yesterday by what Savita’s husband said. I do not think we, as a country, should allow a situation where women’s lives are put at risk in this way. We must deal with the issue and bring legal clarity to it.

As the Minister for Health said in the House some time ago, there have been six Governments in this State since the Supreme Court judgment in 1992 and they have not dealt with it. This will not be the seventh. That is why we set up the expert group to guide us. It is not a case of a report on what happened or looking into the matter. Let us look at the terms of reference of the expert group; it was to examine the A, B and C v. Ireland judgment of the European Court of Human Rights to elucidate its implication for the provision of health services to pregnant women in Ireland, to recommend a series of options on how to implement the judgment, taking into account the constitutional, legal, medical and ethical considerations involved in the formulation of public policy in this area and the overriding need for speedy action.

The group has now reported and the report has just been received. Obviously the Government will have to consider what is in the report. As Deputy Niall Collins has said, we must discuss the issue in this House. We must bring legal clarity to the issue as quickly as possible. As the Minister for Health said in a Dáil debate on the issue some time ago, this will not be the seventh Government to neglect and ignore the issue.

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