Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I add my voice in support of the amendment. This legislation is flawed. On the issue of conscientious objection, it is a real ask of the medical professionals to whom I have spoken, be they nurses, pharmacists, midwives, obstetricians or clinicians. When they qualified, they took an oath to protect life - in this case, the lives of the mother and the unborn child. If they want to opt out of providing this service, they should be given that right. I do not think that, as legislators, we or this House should force anyone to go against his or her morals, ethos or beliefs. That is what we are doing in enforcing this provision. I, therefore, ask the Minister and the Government to reconsider. Nobody should be forced to do something he or she does not want to do.

Last week I received a telephone call from an obstetrician in St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny. He told me that a vote had been taken in the hospital and that two obstetricians, four clinicians and 82 nurses had said they did not want to take part in any act connected with abortion. We should respect their decisions. If a woman presents for an abortion in St. Luke's General Hospital, is it safely guaranteed if that number of individuals object to taking to part in the process and is it morally right to force them to take part in it? I was told by the same obstetrician that a vote had also been taken in two other hospitals. He named them, but I will not do so here because it is up to them to talk about the matter. The obstetrician told me that the results were the same. It is morally wrong. We all know that the proposal that the eighth amendment be deleted from the Constitution was passed by the people and we must respect that decision.

Conscientious objection is something we must take on board. Each person, male or female, should be given that right. I ask the Minister and legislators in this House to consider this and not to force people to do something they do not want to do, that is against their principles, and that they believe is against their oath, morals and ethical beliefs. I ask that to be taken on board here. I, for one, could not support that.

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