Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to share time with Deputy Ann Phelan. This afternoon, I was very pleased to be able to attend the address by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her visit to Dublin when she spoke about human rights. She spoke very clearly about recognising the need for the human rights of women to be vindicated all over the world. It was a timely speech considering what we are discussing.

Some speakers have picked up on the following sentiment. When we are talking about women and their bodies and the right to medical treatment when they need it, in this country we are often outraged about how women are treated in other countries. The Taliban refuse to let women work, yet, in the 1970s in Ireland, a woman who got married no longer had the right to work. For years, women had to try to get access to contraception so they could plan their families and space children apart. This is something developing countries are getting right with their young women because they understand that if you educate women and allow them to space their children apart, they are in a much better position to provide for them. However, in this country, we grappled with these issues in the not too distant past. In this spirit, I am not shocked it has taken us this long to deal with the issue under consideration.

Another reason is the lack of female legislators in the country. As legislators, we have acted as cowards over the past 20 years. We made extremely difficult circumstances unbearable for women. We colluded with our cowardice to make this country an inhumane place for women. In the spirit of the speech made by Hillary Clinton, we should hang our heads in shame. Let us not forget that, often, we look far away to those whose human rights are not being vindicated. We jump up and down about them, yet we have cases of human rights not being vindicated for half of the population. What did we do? Nothing. As part of this Government, I am proud the Labour Party has campaigned on the issue and has often been targeted by parties for political gain. We took a stance on the issue and continue to do so.

I thank the expert group for its clear report. Paragraph 7.4.3 of the report alludes to legislation and regulation. In the game of politics, we also talk about advantages and disadvantages. Considering what the expert group has written, the only option for legislators is to provide the primary legislation that will allow for regulations. The expert group has helpfully drawn up the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and include only one disadvantage, which is that it may take a long time to draft legislation. This is not an insurmountable barrier. As legislators, we must act to ensure and vindicate the rights of women.

The people have had two opportunities to reverse the X case and twice the people confirmed the judgment in the case. Political cowardice and conservatism that is out of step with the reality of women's lives and their bodies have meant we have failed the women of the country for 20 years. I do not say that lightly. I mean it.

It is incumbent on all of us in the House to address this so that the disadvantage suffered by women will not remain. We must act. We must legislate to ensure the safety, health and well-being of women in the future.

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