Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is my understanding. There was a big furore during the summer fanned by the media and some of the organisations that champion this cause. We have many NGOs and they cost €5.5 billion a year. Some of this money was redirected. We have a lot of good NGOs, do not get me wrong, but I question the number of them. I found out from the response to a parliamentary question asked by my colleague Deputy Nolan that there are 36,000 of them.

The Minister has said changing the word "woman" is not in the Bill but we have a woman being described as a person with a cervix. Ordinary people come to me and email me. They have contacted me because they are aghast at the way we are going. They are aghast at some the legislation we are passing. They are fundamentally opposed to it. They are proud to be women and known as women and live a normal life. They feel we are going way over the threshold in an almighty rush to change the image of our country and turn it inside out. I go back to the family unit. There are different kinds of family unit now. The family unit is so important for nurturing children and helping to support from the cradle to the grave. I have issues and we will table amendments, if we can do so, to seek more clarification.

I agree with Deputy Tóibín there is a silent cohort of people out there busy with their lives, rearing their families, doing their best and contributing. They feel a lot of this legislation is not even relevant to them. They are wondering where it is going, who is driving it and where it is coming from. I say make haste slowly and stall the horses for the moment, go back and re-evaluate. Do not have a select few NGOs dictating what legislation comes to the House. Worse than this, if anybody dares put up their head, as they have on programmes on RTÉ or elsewhere, they are shot down. Where is the freedom of speech? We fought so much to value our freedom and fundamental rights.

We have a problem that I have raised over the past three weeks with the lack of numbers in the Garda and problems with people being intimidated in their homes. It is happening in my county. I am speaking about Tiobraid Árann theas and Clonmel and surrounding parishes. People are afraid to speak the name of the perpetrator. This is not a democracy. This is not cherishing our people equally. Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. We will not look at the situation of the revolving door circus with free legal aid being provided 50, 60 or 120 times. Everybody is entitled to legal aid-----

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