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

The right to freedom of conscience is a fundamental right protected by the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. No person should be required by force of law to take innocent life. Irish doctors, nurses and midwives entered their professions to protect life, not to take it. For the first time in Irish history, a Minister for Health is proposing to force doctors to refer women for abortions. Forcing doctors to become involved in the abortion process against their conscience is deeply unjust. There is growing anger among nurses, in particular paediatric nurses, doctors, midwives and pharmacists because they were never consulted. It was said wrongly that this was GP-led. However, there was a GP poll and of the 900 GPs who responded, 75% said they do not want to participate. Theatre staff and gynaecology ward staff will be forced, and bullied, I believe, to do this job when they never entered the profession thinking this was what they would have to do. How can a nursing staff manager take over a 12-hour shift where the nurse leaving says there are three terminations of pregnancies going ahead, when the second nurse does not want to be involved in that? She is going to be forced into it. Indeed, two Scottish nurses lost their jobs for the same reason in 2014. I can see this is what will happen in our country down the road and we are not addressing those issues.

Most GPs have no ultrasound service available to them and most of them are not trained to operate an ultrasound machine. If a girl presents and says she is nine, ten or 11 weeks pregnant, how can he be sure it is not 14, 15 or 20 weeks when he does not have that ultrasound service available to him? Where a girl presents up to 24 weeks on mental health grounds, and something happens with the father of the child and she is in a very bad state, what is the definition of "mental health grounds"? This will allow for the abortion of a 24-week old baby. Only the other day I had the pleasure of seeing and meeting a baby who was born at 22 weeks, and he is perfect, a lovely little boy. The people I am talking about came into the profession to save lives, not to kill.

What happens the babies who are born alive? Are they going to be saved once they are outside the womb? I met a woman of 39 years of age across the road from here last year. She was aborted and thrown into a bucket, and a conscientious nurse heard her moaning and saved her. She was perfect last year, 39 years later, across the road from here.

With regard to foetal abnormality, we understand the case of the baby that has no hope of surviving outside the womb. To be honest, everyone felt for that situation, as I did. That should have been addressed on its own, aside from any abortion Bill. The Bill refers to a foetal abnormality up to nine months. How much of a disability are we talking about? This has never been explained or defined. Is it some child with a cleft palate? Who is going to decide that? If a baby that is in the womb for nine months is going to be aborted for no good reason, to me, that is murder and it should not be allowed. There are many Deputies here who have an awful rush on them to get this Bill through the Dáil. I believe the Taoiseach does not want to allow pre-legislative scrutiny, which is wrong because this is very serious.

An awful lot of people around the country will be very hurt when they see and understand what is happening in the case of an abortion, and what happens to a little baby. I believe that once a baby is in the mother's womb, it is alive. Although it is constantly being referred to as a foetus, I refer to it as a baby. We are talking about this happening up to nine months. A couple of days later it is a baby outside the womb whereas a couple of days before that, or even hours before that, it is called a foetus and can be aborted. It is very wrong.

Our abortion laws will be the most liberal in Europe. I respect the vote of the Irish people but they relied on us in this House to do what is right. If we are going to rush this Bill through the Dáil, I do not think that is right. On every little aspect I have raised here, I had only ten minutes to speak. This should be gone through in minute detail, not rushed through. The people out there are depending on us to legislate properly for abortion. We must ensure the doctors, midwives and paediatric nurses, who were never consulted, are consulted and talked to in order to see how this will be carried out. It is all right for the Minister to say, "There is €12 million there. Do it." That is not the way it should be done. We should go through it properly and ensure plenty of legislative scrutiny is given to the matters I have raised here tonight because it is very important.

Many healthcare professionals have called on the Government not to force doctors to refer women for abortions. The legislation must be amended to remove the obligation on doctors to refer women for abortions.

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