Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to reiterate my firm belief that life begins when a baby begins to grow inside a woman. It is a crime to take a life. Let us go back to what abortion is. People should educate themselves that abortion is stopping the right of a little baby to live or continue its journey into this life from the mother's womb. I was absolutely disgusted and so upset when I heard the way it is done, with two injections, first one to paralyse the little baby and then another to stop his heartbeat and stop his life, and not give him the chance to live. That is terrible because life is a gift and a treasure. The babies that are born around the world tonight are our future; they are the world ahead of us. Once a baby is conceived, it has a right to live.

Everyone around the country, in this Chamber, at the Oireachtas committee and at the Citizens' Assembly, which was not elected by anyone and the membership of which was, I believe, selectively chosen, has had his or her say. The little unborn babies will not be able to say a word. That is where I have a serious difficulty, and nothing will ever change my mind. It is my duty, as an elected Member, to speak for them and to cite their right to continue their journey into this world. No one in this world has the right to take the life of another. There has been a lot of talk about babies throughout the country. Whether it is a growing child, a mother, a father or anyone else - even an elderly man living in the countryside who is killed by some blackguards - that is wrong, and it is wrong to take the life of an unborn baby. Only God decides when a life should end, and it is a good job it is that way.

Girls and women should have access to support. If they become pregnant and are despairing or in bother, they should receive help. They should receive plenty of counselling, financial support and whatever else. If they cannot manage, there are plenty of couples who would gladly adopt and cherish a little baby boy or girl if they were given the chance to do so. There is a great deal more available to women today than there was 50 years ago, when girls were frowned upon when they became pregnant out of wedlock. That is not the position today. There is contraception and so much education available, and rightly so. There is fierce respect for women and girls who become pregnant in today's world, which is wonderful. Life is a gift. I appreciate life and I will do so while there is a breath left in my body. Little unborn babies have the right to continue their journey into life.

The eighth amendment has served mothers and babies very well for the past 35 years. The referendum proposes to allow abortion on demand up to 12 weeks and, in other cases, may allow it up to 19 or 20 weeks. The referendum proposes to get rid of the eighth amendment but no other wording is being put in place to either protect the mother or the unborn baby. That we would leave it up to the Members of this Dáil or future Dáileanna is my major worry as I see so many Deputies in this Chamber supporting abortion. The small unborn baby making its way into this world will not stand a chance. I am asking all the good people throughout the country to remember the unborn baby, as we all once were, and to vote against the proposal to get rid of the eighth amendment, which has protected mothers and unborn babies for the past 35 years.

The Supreme Court ruled that the unborn baby has a constitutional right to life but does not have the right to life before it is born. What it is saying is that the unborn baby does not have the right to remain within the protection of the womb. To me, that is very contradictory and hard to understand. As I have said before, I am against allowing abortion of a little baby who has reached 12 weeks in a mother's womb. A baby at that stage is very well formed and has a heartbeat, a brain, a head, arms and legs. We all know that and no one should try to deny it. This baby cannot ask to be let live while everyone else can express a view. We have to remember the small unborn baby has done nothing wrong.

In all the debates that have taken place in recent years, there has been very little mention of the negative effective an abortion has had on many mothers. Once that little baby is gone, while the mother may have other babies, she will never forget the one she does not have.

I reject the idea proposed by some Deputies that parents should be allowed to have an abortion because they are not able to support and rear another baby. God help us, is that where we have got to now? What about all of the contraceptive methods and morning after pills? The last thing we should be talking about is getting rid of the little unborn baby.

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