Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The consistency of some of the Deputies opposite is incredible. There is regularity, like a clock, in here. This is a very difficult debate on very difficult issues. That Members are calling people names, misrepresenting people and constantly slurring people is just incredible. I cannot believe some Deputies really accentuate the level of offence they find in every single word of these legislative measures, yet they are happy to stand in the national Parliament and dismiss abortion regret as a fairy story. It is breathtaking that offence can be experienced on only one side of this debate. It is unbelievable. I invite the Minister and Deputy O'Connell to come with me and meet women who have experienced abortion regret. That would be a really important exercise for both individuals so they might understand what those concerned are talking about.

Yesterday we were told the ethnicity reference was some kind of racist reference. The fact of the matter was that the British equality authority asked for ethnicity to be included when collecting information. The Guttmacher Institute, the research wing of Planned Parenthood, seeks for research to be carried out on the basis of ethnicity for quality reasons, yet the word "ethnicity" was bandied about yesterday like some kind of trigger word. I actually do not believe the Members here feel the offence they are speaking of, and they do not have any interest in debating with us. What they are looking for are Twitter hits. They are seeking to ratchet up their offence levels so they can in some way appeal to their gallery elsewhere in this debate. They are also seeking to censor Members here. The subtext is, "Conform, conform, conform and make sure you do not disagree with us because if we disagree with you we will seek to shame you on the basis of the language you use."

Information is an entity that provides answers. It is an entity that resolves uncertainty. The Deputies are so maximalist in the demand for abortion access that even information should not be allowed at this stage on the grounds that it might be a barrier to the choice to have an abortion. My amendment asks only for the information to be offered. In one question, it can be declined or accepted.

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