Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith lion a rá leis an Teach anocht go bhfuil an Comhaontas Glas sásta tacaíocht a thabhairt don Bhille seo. Once again in this House, we find ourselves discussing the need to repeal an uncompromising, extremely rigid Article in the Constitution which has caused untold unnecessary suffering to many Irish women and families since its inception in 1983. One of the many lessons to be learned from 1983 is the need for the Legislature to be trusted as the Constitution is not the place and is unsuitable for detailed provisions, which tie the hands of future generations.

The Bill before the Dáil tonight on the eve of International Women's Day highlights the appalling way in which we treat our women in Ireland. The Thirty-second Dáil and the Ireland of 2017 has an opportunity with this Bill to say a firm "no" to criminalising women. We have not only abandoned women by forcing them to leave their own country to access a safe medical procedure, we have compounded the suppression by threatening and sanctioning women and doctors with severe punishment and threatening them with jail sentences of up to 14 years. This threat and stigma surrounding abortion puts women in a dangerous position and continues to tie the hands of doctors when it comes to emergency scenarios, which, if not responded to properly, as this country has learned to its eternal shame, can result in the unnecessary and avoidable deaths of mothers. We have also made our doctors powerless and placed women in frightening and inhumane situations. The heartbreaking personal journeys that we are all aware of have shown that we need to do everything within our power as legislators to ensure we do not punish women but rather show compassion for the difficult decisions that face women in this country. Women should not have to steal away from their country to access a safe medical procedure and not one woman’s life should ever be put in unnecessary danger. Women should not be branded, punished and treated as criminals.

The Green Party recognises the ongoing work of the Citizens' Assembly but this does not mean that we abdicate our duties as legislators. The Government's amendment to the Bill paralyses that legislative function. The truth is this and previous Governments have lacked the political courage to deal once and for all with the issue. If this proposed legislative change is all we can do for now as legislators as we await a Government of courage, let us do exactly that.

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