Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Tonight's debate and the motion before us read like an exercise in political cynicism of the deepest kind. It is the kind of cute, clever politics that ultimately leaves people and particularly women cheated. The eighth amendment arose as a consequence of a particularly clever piece of politics by Charlie Haughey in respect of his opponents in Fine Gael. The eighth amendment should never have been put to the people. All of those eminent legal and medical advisers at the time who said it was an inappropriate thing to be the subject of an amendment to the Constitution in the way it was framed were overruled as a consequence of the kind of cynical exercise it became. The people of Ireland in their wisdom having heard the arguments voted for it. What is now needed - nothing will gainsay this - is an opportunity in the reasonably near future as soon as possible for the people to vote on the issues pertaining to the eighth amendment.

While the consideration of the eighth amendment is the only reason for this exercise, it is buried in a number of other much less controversial items to be examined. These include the challenges and opportunities facing older people; the notion of fixed-term parliaments which exist in many countries and is hardly terribly controversial; and the manner in which referenda are held. To one degree or another all those proposals, while significant and important, are perfectly capable of being debated and decided upon in the people's assembly, which is Dáil Éireann. Instead they are mixed in with a proposal on the eighth amendment.

As a consequence, we are kicking the can down the road on the issues relating to the eighth amendment. We had a very emotional and difficult debate two weeks ago over a Bill introduced by Deputy Wallace, which was pretty much a carbon copy of a Bill introduced in the last Dáil by Deputy Clare Daly. Notwithstanding that it was very well meant, it did absolutely nothing to address the issue of fatal foetal abnormalities. Was that Bill capable of working? I think almost everybody in this House would have voted to solve the dilemma of mothers and fathers affected by that harrowing situation as they try to reach a decision about what to do.

This is an exercise in the deepest kind of political cynicism. My guess is that many younger people, in particular, who probably were not voters at the time of the referendum on the eighth amendment, will see through this cynicism and see it for what it is.

The proposal is to draw a representative sample of 100 people. I do not know how this polling company will work. However, when they telephone and ask individuals to use their wisdom to make a recommendation on the eighth amendment, it is hard to see how people other than people with an interest on either side of the argument would be willing to take part.

We also have an expert advisory group.

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