Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to take this chance to thank the Tánaiste personally for his approach to this matter but, more importantly, I want to thank all the women who shared their stories, both publicly and privately, with us and those on the "Yes" campaign and, in doing so, have shifted public opinion on this issue. It is a matter of deep regret that it took personal stories and tragedy to be shared with others in some of the most public ways to ensure that shift of opinion took place.

We know that the "No" side has been using a tactic in the past week in which they are claiming there is a better way to deal with the so-called hard cases, those very real cases where women find themselves pregnant as a result of rape or get a diagnosis of fatal foetal anomaly. They tell us that can be dealt with in the current constitutional context. We know that is patently untrue. We also know that is a tactic to try to sow confusion in the last week of the debate. Will the Tánaiste join me in categorically stating that the only way to show compassion to women in these circumstances is to vote "Yes" on Friday and to repeal the eighth amendment?

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