Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is interesting to listen to this discussion because it is being dominated by two men who are leading the two largest conservative parties in the country, and both of them avoiding what is really the key issue. The key issue is a woman's right to control her own body and the men do not want to face up to that.

I have been fascinated listening to this discussion. We hear that the Constitution belongs to the people and it is up to the people to decide what goes into and comes out of that Constitution. Does it every cross their minds that our bodies belong to us, as women, and that it is up to us to decide what we do with our bodies? Does that cause some kind of a conflict for them?

It is interesting that the women on this side of the House, who are pro-choice and who have the most to lose if a referendum on repealing the eighth amendment falls, are the ones who are advocating it the most. The reason we are advocating it the most is because we have lived most of our adult lives without the right to control our own bodies. We have lived with sisters, daughters, cousins, friends and all women across society who have been denied that right and very many of whom - in fact, 12 a day - have been forced to leave the State to procure abortions elsewhere.

People now face the possibility of 14 years in prison for attempting to procure an abortion. That is what the law passed in this House last year states. It is draconian and the only way to end it is to move to a situation where the people to whom the Taoiseach refers and to whom the Constitution belongs make the decision. If the Constitution belongs to the people, then let them decide and give them a choice to have a referendum calling for repeal of the eighth amendment.

For 33 years of my adult life, I have lived with this amendment to the Constitution, as have other women and, indeed, lots of men in this country who are very dissatisfied with it. Is it not time, given all the statistics and all the polling, that the Taoiseach just holds the referendum? The Taoiseach does not have to decide what question is asked other than do people want to repeal the eighth amendment of the Constitution. That is a simple question. If the people say "No", then we are stuck with that decision. If the people say "Yes", then there are consequences and we will deal with them.

I want to put a case to the Taoiseach because he states there are a number of court cases that have looked at this issue and that have come up with various ways of looking at it and nuances to it. All of those court cases emanated from crises for women - the X case, the Y case and other cases. All of them emanated from serious crises in women's lives. If there are to be more crises in women's lives - there will be because of this amendment of the Constitution - how does one deal with, for example, emergency situations?

The following is not a facile question, and lots of words have been bandied about here about whether it is facile, traumatic or sensitive. The Olympic Games will take place in South America this year and the World Health Organization has just ruled that it will not postpone them because of the Zika virus.

The Brazilian Government is advising the female population of Brazil not to get pregnant. What does the Taoiseach say to Irish sportswomen, participants and tourists who want to go to Brazil for the Olympic Games? Do the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, advise them not to get pregnant? If they get pregnant while in Brazil and are at risk of a deformed foetal abnormality, will they return to Ireland to be told they cannot have medical treatment here? What advice will the Taoiseach give female participants and spectators in the Olympic Games? It is very important. While that amendment remains enshrined in our Constitution, such situations will be repeated and will be continually faced by women in this country, whether they are Irish citizens or not.

The citizens' assembly of which the Taoiseach spoke sounds very nice, and he said the people chosen would be gender-balanced and age-balanced. Who will pick them? Will it be the Taoiseach, Fine Gael, the Independent Deputies who support the Government and who are against women having the right to choose? Who will choose the citizens who will make the decision and return to the House with a recommendation? A real decision can be made only by giving people a vote and putting the referendum to the people. What is the Taoiseach afraid of? What are the people who are against the referendum afraid of? Are they afraid the people might decide, after 33 years, that the amendment is problematic, discriminatory and denies women their basic rights?

Will the Taoiseach please answer my specific question on how he will advise our citizens who may attend the Olympic Games in the autumn?

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