Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----and if they refuse to take part in terminations of pregnancy, they believe they will be treated like the two nurses in Scotland who were forced to leave their jobs because they would not do what they were being forced to do. That is how serious the matter is for them. They were brought up and taught how to protect life, save it and bring it into the world and all of a sudden they are being made to do what they do not have a mind to do.

The current proposal has already been opposed by over 600 GPs, many of whom have indicated that they will not co-operate with a duty to refer for an abortion. The Minister has created a completely unnecessary showdown with doctors on a subsection of the Bill that is, in reality, not practical. As a matter of pragmatism, the country cannot afford to lose a large number of GPs, midwives, nurses and other healthcare officials. As it is, we do not have enough of them and we do not want to lose any more. The health service is a disaster in County Kerry. It has emerged today that people have died because of the neglect of the HSE which has failed to provide a proper service in County Kerry, in particular at Kerry General Hospital.

The Minister is forcing people to press ahead and requiring doctors to make arrangements for women to access abortion services against their deeply held beliefs. A legal challenge is inevitable. It is very obvious that there will be a challenge if this matter is not corrected in the Bill, which will delay the legislation further. It is very possible that it will happen. I am again asking the Minister to set up a team, if he believes he can, to carry out the service without bullying or forcing doctors, midwives, nurses and other healthcare officials to do something they were never trained to do in the first place, that they do not want to do and that they will never will do.

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