Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this new legislation, the Thirty-Fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Right to Personal Autonomy and Bodily Integrity) Bill 2014. I welcome this debate and commend my colleague, Deputy Clare Daly, on bringing the legislation before the House. She made an excellent contribution and put the facts on the table. She showed the world the reality of what is going on in Ireland in 2014.

Of course, there are many views on this issue but I will always come down on the side of the health and safety of the women in question. I, too, always stress tolerance for different views and will always respect the individual consciences of all Deputies. This is another issue in respect of which we should all ignore the Whip system in this House. People should be allowed to express their views and be inclusive and respectful of other views. Difference and diversity are always good for democracy but the Dáil should decide and people should be allowed to vote on how they feel.

I feel many people in this Dáil want to support this legislation. Those of us on the liberal side of this debate should never hand over the pro-life slogan to other groups. There is nobody in this House who is anti-life, and this should be stated clearly in this debate. We want to save lives and protect women and children, and we need less hypocrisy, particularly on this issue. We need to deal with what is going on in Ireland in 2014.

There should be no running away from this issue, and straight talk is essential. The fatal foetal abnormality issue must be dealt with in a compassionate way. What is currently going on is a scandal and, to be quite honest, it is very cruel. Compassion and care have to be at the top of our political agenda. There should be no more fudging by forcing women to travel. Just think of the circumstances if one of our daughters or sisters was affected. Have we, as a society, lost our humanity on this issue? This is where we are at in regard to this legislation tonight.

The purpose of the Bill is to provide a referendum to delete Article 40.3.3°, the eighth amendment, which equates the life of a woman with that of the foetus. This makes the foetus an independent entity whose well-being has to come before a woman's by virtue of the fact that the woman is carrying the foetus. What about the well-being of the woman? Mr. Nigel Rodley, a former UN rapporteur on torture stated in front of the UN Human Rights Committee that Ireland's laws treat women as a vessel and nothing more. That is not acceptable in the Ireland of 2014. It discriminates against women with no income and women facing pregnancy knowing the foetus has foetal abnormalities. Migrant workers need a visa and the burden falls entirely on the women. If a woman has sufficient funds and a visa, she can travel to England. If she does not have the money to travel, she must face a panel that will decide her fate. What century are we living in? The Salem witch trials come to mind in this regard.

Our current law does not stop women from terminating their pregnancies; it makes the journey more difficult. It affects only the disadvantaged and marginalised minorities. Anyone else can easily travel to England. Once more, the rich can do what they want while the poor, disadvantaged and people on lower salaries are left behind once again.

We must change the law which vindicates the rights of the unborn at the expense of the mental health of a pregnant woman. Thousands of women leave Ireland every year to have abortions in England. We are happy to make it someone else's problem. Time and again, opinion polls have shown that a large majority of voters are in favour of holding another referendum on abortion.

The most recent legislation, which promises access to abortion in a few cases, was tested in the summer when a young, vulnerable woman came to Ireland following a traumatic rape and was forced to give birth by caesarean section despite being prepared to starve herself to death. Little has changed since Savita Halappanavar died from sepsis in Galway. At a minimum, women must be allowed safe and legal access to abortion when their life or health is at risk. I respect the right of a woman to decide, as should the Government.

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