Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Reluctantly, as one does not want to get into the graphic, intense debate the last contribution from Deputy Nolan invites, I appeal to her to reconsider the amendment and withdraw it. The language she used is the verbal equivalent of the horrible posters we saw displayed outside the Dáil which were designed to induce trauma, fear and shock, which is not the way to conduct a debate on something as sensitive and difficult as the issue we are discussing. It is depressing that the Deputy resorted to that sort of language with all the connotations it has for women who have made a decision to choose termination. The Deputy should reconsider. I find it amazing and shocking also because whatever her feelings on the issue, she is actually asking us to agree that a service that will be legally available to women should in reality only be available to those who can pay for it. She is asking for a two-tier system of healthcare for women. It is awful that she would even suggest that. She can correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure I have heard Deputy Nolan rail time and time again against the two-tier health service in other areas. Nevertheless, she advocates a two-tier health service when it comes to women's healthcare in situations where a woman's health and welfare is at stake. She suggests a financial barrier should be put in the way of a woman making her own choices about how to deal with a situation in which her welfare, health, including mental health, or any other aspect of her wellbeing is at stake. Deputy Nolan says that people who do not have money should not have that service made available to them. It is shocking that Deputy Nolan would suggest that. I urge her to withdraw the amendment and to try to conduct the debate in a somewhat dignified manner which does not use shocking tactics and graphic language to convey her point. Surely, she recognises that whatever she may feel about the issue, a huge majority of people in the country feel differently. They have spoken very clearly on that. The least she could do is show a bit of respect for the fact, notwithstanding her differences of opinion on the matter.

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