Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was not going to speak but I have just been reading the amendment. I have concerns, in particular, as previous speakers outlined, regarding the inclusion of ethnicity.

I wish to point out that if this amendment is passed, it refers to section 14, which is early pregnancy. We put in the 12-week limit for two reasons, namely, to deal with rape and incest and to deal with the issue of abortion pills. Imagine being a rape victim. If that was not traumatic enough, before one could get a termination one would have to answer a series of questions on one's previous pregnancies, including live births, ectopic pregnancies, any previous terminations and spontaneous miscarriages. One's ethnicity and marital status would have to be recorded. It is archaic. It is racist.

I wish that we did not even have to debate this tonight. It is a poor reflection on this Chamber that there are individuals within it who would expect doctors to ask rape victims these questions and who, if the doctors do not do so, would jail the doctors.

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