Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing my time with Deputy Kathleen Funchion.

I thank Deputy Coppinger and her party for bringing this Bill to the floor of the House. I acknowledge the work done by her and others, including some in this House, on this important issue. I do not wish to play politics with this issue because those women who are watching this will not thank us for that. This is bigger and more important than point-scoring and cheap shots, and the talk by Ministers and some others on the Government side to the effect that this Bill is somehow designed to exploit divisions in the Government benches is not only unnecessary but decidedly unhelpful. There are people in the Visitors Gallery and others watching us who want to have a referendum on the eighth amendment. They did not vote for a citizens' assembly. This was not the decision of the majority of people and it is important we do not lose sight of this and somehow pretend a citizens' assembly is the wish of the people. It is not. It has been said, and it bears repeating, that this Chamber is the citizens' assembly as we were elected to make decisions and not outsource anything we regard as a little uncomfortable or potentially divisive.

I want to make the Sinn Féin position very clear. We support the right of a woman to seek, if she wishes, a termination of pregnancy where her life and mental health are at risk or in grave danger. We support the introduction of legislation, North and South, to allow for terminations in the cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest. In the Twenty-six Counties, this will require the repeal of the eighth amendment to the Constitution. I have placed a motion on the Order Paper to this effect and this is part of the action that is needed. I am outlining the position that Sinn Féin will be taking when this is debated in the Dáil and I know that all parties should and will have an opportunity to outline their respective positions. I state this not to pre-empt the result of any debate but to be absolutely clear about my position and that of my party.

It is now 33 years since the eighth amendment was inserted into our Constitution. When it comes to matters of women's health and the involvement of the State, we have not exactly covered ourselves in glory, and we need to face the fact that we have failed women and that we must take every opportunity to make amends for this.

One should remember retired Ms Justice Harding-Clark's report into obstetric practices at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, the report by the maternity and infant care scheme review group, the maternity services task force, Ann Lovett, symphysiotomy, Ms X, Savita Halappanavar, Ms D, and Ms Y. The UNCHR report that found Ireland failed to protect Ms Amanda Mellet from "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment". That was very recently and a direct result of the eighth amendment. We discussed that very finding here very recently and there was an outpouring of sympathy for Ms Mellet, her family and all those who find themselves in her position.

These were just words. They tripped easily off the tongues of those who sought to grab headlines, but when the opportunity presented to vote to support the women and their families, their support evaporated. Without even having the manners to be ashamed, those in question proudly voted with the Government and made a very clear statement that they were happy for this treatment to continue. They cast their votes to ensure this treatment would continue. What we are seeing is a litany of abuse and the neglect of women, particularly when they are at their most vulnerable. We have commissioned reports, task forces and groups to look into these issues and we have published recommendations, but nearly every year without fail we hear of another tragic failure of our system to protect and support women. That abject failure is, in part, attributable to the eighth amendment.

Before anybody claims better investment in maternity services would offset the need for repeal, let me be very clear. We need repeal and we need better maternity services. We need to consider what it is like for women in Ireland today and examine honestly what that says about us as a country. Women deserve support during pregnancy and after. They should have access to all the supports necessary for their health and mental well-being.

I was a child when the eighth amendment was introduced. I was a child when I watched my mother cry because Ann Lovett had died on her own in a grotto in the cold and in the dark. My mother cried her heart out. She did not want it for her daughter. I am a grandmother now and do not want it for my daughter. I do not want it for my grandson or his generation. We do not need to have the eighth amendment. We can support this legislation. We all know we have to have a debate about it but we need to repeal the eighth amendment.

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