Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I also conveyed my sympathies to the family when I raised this issue in the Dáil. I believe it was the only time it was raised. Nobody has mentioned the names of those in question, and nobody knows their names; that is fine but it should not be used as a gag against public representatives raising legitimate questions.

Dr. Peter Boylan called what happened in the tragic case grotesque and experimental. The Minister should be asking for a report from the doctors on why they felt it necessary to keep the lady on life support when it would seem, according to any information I have looked up, that no 15-week foetus has survived under these circumstances anywhere in the world. The ICU consultant involved said we were dealing with a corpse and could not believe what was going on. It would seem that we have the money to keep women as incubators but we do not have the money for nurses or beds. Can the Minister explain to people suffering from rare, life-limiting and life-threatening conditions why they cannot get medication - relevant cases have been highlighted in recent days - although money is being spent in circumstances such as those described?

The Minister of State from the Labour Party, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is shaking her head. Fine Gael introduced the eighth amendment in 1983. The Labour Party is sitting on its hands even though it disagrees with it. It is apologising saying it is in a coalition in an election year and that it will suspend its belief in women's rights for the duration. If I were the Minister of State, I would not be shaking her head.

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