Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Savita Halappanavar. This is a tragedy of epic proportions and something no family should have to go through, particularly as it would appear to be a preventable death of a lovely young woman. I have my doubts about the real motivation behind this Private Members' motion and believe it is a cynical exercise where we are using the death of a young woman to further political gains.

Given the X case and this awful tragedy, we have a duty to Savita's family and the people of this country to ensure this is an honest, mature and respectful debate. We all know there are sensitivities on all sides. Six successive governments failed to implement legislation in this regard, and we certainly cannot be the seventh. Procrastination is time's worse enemy. Like most of my colleagues, I am not prepared to wait another 20 years to bring clarity to this issue. We can no longer deny basic human rights to women in difficulty.

We are prepared to legislate as soon as we have all the recommendations before us. When this Government was elected, we made a commitment to the people that we would deal with this sensitive and very complex issue. It was agreed by the Labour Party and Fine Gael, as part of the programme for Government, that we would await the recommendations of the expert group. In the absence of this information, I voted against the Bill brought before the House last April by Deputy Clare Daly. The expert group's report is now with the Minister and will be brought before Cabinet next week where a debate on the recommendations will take place.

The death of Savita Halappanavar at University College Hospital Galway was heart-breaking and shocking in the extreme. We have read and heard various accounts from the media surrounding the manner of Savita's death and I am aware that this case has galvanised public opinion. However, I would stress that these investigations are ongoing and we are still unaware of the full facts.

This has always been part of the Labour Party's policy and we do not need prompting from a party which is using the situation to further its own political profile. What we are sure of is that this type of tragedy must be prevented from occurring again. It is imperative that the inquiry into Savita Halappanavar's death is dealt with as expeditiously as possible. It is because it is such an emotive issue that I believe Private Members' business is perhaps not best placed to deal with it as it should be dealt with openly in the House.

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