Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 45 is concerned with parental notification. As my colleagues and I have repeatedly stated, the amendment introduces an additional requirement for the lawful termination of pregnancy under sections 10, 12 and 13 where it involves a pregnant minor, under the age of 16 years. In such cases, it would be necessary for a parent of a minor to be provided with a copy of certification made under those sections before the termination of pregnancy is carried out.

I will not be lectured here about being anti-choice. We are not one bit anti-choice. We are pro-life and proud of it. I will not accept Deputy Coppinger's words about our alleged care for young people. We care as much as anybody else. That is why we have a debate on this issue in as sensitive a manner as we can. It was said we do not care. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will not take seven minutes to speak on the amendment. We have been accused of filibustering. The records will show we did not, do not and will not. We are moving amendments that we tabled with good intentions. We speak to them with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Acting Chairmen. It is our right. Do we want it to be totally anti-democratic? We are supposed to be anti-choice. What about the anti-democratic Deputies who want to silence us? They want to silence the more than 730,000 people-----

See this speech in context