Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the passion Deputy Wallace has for this Bill. I would like to thank him for having the courage to speak up for the women and men whose lives are forever changed on receiving a diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality. This is a topic very close to my heart. My husband and I were unfortunate enough to be told our much wanted child had a profound defect when we went for our 20-week scan. The pain and suffering of that time is deeply etched in my memory and the fear of the unknown and the cruelty of fate weighed heavily on our shoulders. Against the odds, the pregnancy continued to term and I was delivered of a child, almost all of whose organs were outside his body. He is now, miraculously, a fit and healthy five year old with a flair for social commentary. That week in which we awaited the results to tell us if he also had a genetic and, therefore, fatal abnormality was the hardest of our young lives.

Before that, I had not needed to pay much attention to the eighth amendment, nor had I been overly aware of the limitations it placed on the people. Call me ignorant, but it had never been on my radar until that point, having spent most of my adult life in the UK where a civilised and compassionate approach to women's health is par for the course. Arising from that personal experience, I have become a more educated, open-minded and informed person and, I hope, representative. It should not require every Member of the House to suffer as my husband and I did to speak for a repeal of the eighth amendment. I would not wish what we went through on anyone. Having met representatives from Termination for Medical Reasons, I know that they also want to limit the suffering of the those who face the same situation.

As we sit here today, people are receiving a diagnosis which tells them to prepare for a death, not a birth, and that their misery cannot be relieved in our country. The inordinate political anxiety that surrounds the repeal of the eighth amendment is understandable, but it takes courage to stand up for what is right, to meet those who have lived the experience and to listen to the medical experts and not some self-appointed moral police who will look down on the rest of us from their lofty perches, terrorising Deputies with threats of hellfire and eternal damnation in the hope that this will cause political paralysis. That is not going to work. As legislators, we must acknowledge that change is happening, that people are calling for it and that the international community demands it. However, it is incumbent on us to vote down this legislation having been informed that it is unconstitutional. As legal adviser to the Government, the Attorney General has made her opinion clear. I understand that legal opinions may differ, but the Attorney General is the person to whom we turn for legal guidance and to ignore her professional opinion would be to do her a disservice.

As well as caring for our women, we must act to protect our medical professionals. The Bill does not prescribe what constitutes a fatal foetal abnormality and there is no definition of the term "incompatible with life". While the eighth amendment remains in place, it presents a barrier to those practising medicine who wish to have clarity regarding care. I have spoken before of my support for the calling of a referendum and to ask this generation of people what they want to do with the eighth amendment. Its repeal is in the best interests of the people, and when the time comes for us to canvass, I will travel the country asking people to support that. The citizens convention, which will be established shortly, will be comprised of men and women from throughout the country and of all ages and backgrounds. I hope the process will be executed in a timely and efficient manner and lead ultimately to a repeal of the eighth amendment. By muddying the waters around the eighth amendment with Bills like this, we risk negatively affecting future campaigns where clear and unequivocal questions can be put to the people.

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