Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have made it perfectly clear that Governments are elected to govern in compliance with their constitutional responsibilities. Equally, I have made it clear that the members of the Government parties will not have a free vote on this matter. I remind Deputy McGrath that the Bill has not been published yet. He is talking about a Bill he has not actually seen. Last year, the Government set out the process it intended to undertake in this regard. As this has been a very sensitive and divisive issue in this country for over 30 years, I do not propose to play politics with regard to it. The Government set up an expert group which reported on a number of options. There were hearings before Christmas. The Government approved the heads of a Bill on 30 April last. That Bill was sent to the Oireachtas committee that is chaired by Deputy Buttimer. It held three days of hearings from expert groups, expert witnesses and people who wanted to give their views. Today, the Government is considering the response from the committee and finalising the explanatory memorandum and the Bill itself. The Bill will be published immediately after the Government concludes its work.

It is important for Deputy McGrath to understand that the legislation regarding abortion, or "illegal miscarriages" as they were called in the 1861 Act, has been around for a long time. The law that applies in respect of the approximately 30 terminations that took place in Irish hospitals last year is the same law that continues to apply. The protection of life in pregnancy Bill gives clarity for medical personnel and for women who are involved here. It is a requirement of the Government to govern. This is being done in respect of the X case and in respect of providing legal certainty arising from the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of A, B and C v. Ireland. It is not a case of the Government introducing legislation about abortion. It is a case of the Government providing legal certainty and clarity about a law that has been around for a long time. It has been adjudicated on by the Supreme Court, which found that the people have given pregnant women in this country the constitutional right to have a termination in certain very specific circumstances; that is, where their life is in danger.

This is about women. This is about saving lives. This is about understanding the requirement in the Constitution to give an equal right to the life of the unborn. It is also about ensuring the clinicians and medical personnel involved have a duty and a responsibility to see that everything practicable is done to save the life of the unborn child in cases where there are complex issues with particular pregnancies. The Government is finalising the Bill at the moment. It will be published as soon as the Government has deliberated on it. The legislation will come before the House before being sent back to the committee to be processed in the normal way. I have told Deputy McGrath that I have no wish to play any politics about this. Everybody in the country is entitled to have their opinion. Many people express their opinions in different ways.

See this speech in context