Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

If one puts those two observations together and if the Government was serious about addressing the denial to women of their rights to protect their health and well-being, it could at least put this forward as something to be considered, and it if it were struck down, as it probably would be, it could then give a commitment that a referendum would be held to deal with the matter.

One of the unacceptable scenarios the amendment deals with in the context of women having the right to protect their health and well-being is that in which a woman is forced to go ahead with a pregnancy when the foetus is diagnosed with a fatal abnormality. How much more damaging to a woman's health and her sense of well-being could it be than to criminalise a woman who seeks to terminate a pregnancy in those appalling circumstances? This is another issue the Minister must address. The Government, despite consistent requests during the debate, has failed to give any assurance whatsoever that during its term it intends to address these issues. Even now at this stage, I appeal to the Minister to give us some commitment in that regard.

See this speech in context