Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister is serious about his opposition to the eighth amendment, he would urge support for this Bill as the passing of it would show how outrageous is the eighth amendment. It was stated in the debate by a spokesperson on the Government side that while Article 40.3.3° of the Constitution prohibits abortion with certain exemptions, this prohibition would be ineffective without the provision of a criminal prevention of the offence in question. I put it to the House that this is a powerful argument for the scrapping of the eighth amendment. Most people do not know and would be shocked to learn it is part of the law of the land-----

See this speech in context