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

The sum total of the debate seems to be business as usual in so far as the issue of abortion is concerned. The nod and wink policy will continue. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil speakers in the debate today have not referred to any of the issues raised by the proposers of the motion and by others on this side of the House. There was no mention of the 4,0000 women who leave this country every year for an abortion.

I note the Minister of State with responsibility for equality is in the Chamber. I think he should listen as he has arrived at the end of the debate.

There was not one mention by any of the opponents of the Bill of the fact that thousands of women are forced to leave this country in secrecy, with stigma and at great expense, because of the failure of the Government to remove the eighth amendment. Neither the Minister nor the Opposition referred to the widely publicised cases that brought thousands of people onto the streets in this country. I refer to the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar and the disgraceful treatment last summer of a really vulnerable girl, a migrant who was pregnant, suicidal and a rape victim. Neither the Minister nor the Opposition spoke about how that case is to be dealt with. I also refer to the case last Christmas of a clinically dead pregnant woman whose family was forced to go to the courts for the right to bury her.

How dare Deputy Kelleher suggest that the purpose of bringing this Bill to the House was to embarrass politicians or political parties. This Bill was published last September by myself and Deputy Higgins as a result of the treatment of the pregnant rape victim last summer. The Bill has come up for debate now. I applaud Deputy Anne Ferris on giving her honest appraisal of the situation. It has been noticeable that no Minister or Deputy spoke in the debate on behalf of the Labour Party. In my view, that is absolutely scandalous.

How dare Deputy Kelleher suggest any ulterior motive. It is parties and people like us who for 30 years have campaigned for social progress in this country. My own first political action was in 1986, campaigning for the divorce referendum when I was a member of the Labour Party. I also campaigned on the X case in 1992 when many of us over here campaigned against the disgraceful incarceration of a rape victim. Unfortunately, we are the people who have had to assist women with accessing abortion pills, for example, those who are prevented from leaving this country because they do not have money. We are the ones who have highlighted the ongoing lack of abortion in this country. It is a little rich for somebody speaking on behalf of an all-male party to talk about political embarrassment which is absolutely secondary to the suffering of women under the eighth amendment.

I wish to clarify that this Bill is necessary if any reform is to take place around abortion in this country. Some people have said that they support abortion being permitted in circumstances of fatal foetal abnormality. According to the Government, that cannot be provided without a repeal of the eighth amendment. The Government can set up whatever commission Deputy Kelleher deems fit but we have to remove the eighth amendment before we can allow any humane treatment of pregnant women in this country.

On the point about the timing, of course it is possible for this to be dealt with by the Government in the lifetime of this Dáil, either in the autumn or the winter. There is no reason to prevent a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment being held in the autumn. The Taoiseach was speaking about a whole series of referendums he planned to hold but maybe these have been put in abeyance now. However, it was a political decision to hold a very minor referendum on the presidential voting age when for so long this issue was begging to be legislated for. A referendum could be held in the autumn.

I refer to the Minister's opening contribution. It is highly disingenuous of the Minister to talk about-----

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