Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In 2018, people voted for women to have access to services. Five years on, and these services are still not in place and the protections that they ought to have are still not in place. I support this legislation and I commend the work of my colleague, Senator Gavan, in particular, who worked hard to put this in place and brought forward the legislation in the Seanad. This legislation is about striking the balance between free assembly and the rights of women and their partners attending maternity appointments and services to be free from harassment. There is scope for improvement, but I believe that broadly, it strikes that balance. It is proportionate to ensure that women who are having a termination can do so free from harassment. It is proportionate that where there is a fatal foetal abnormality, a pregnant woman should be able to get a termination without being confronted by people telling her she is doing the wrong thing and should go home. It is proportionate that a couple of going to an emergency maternity appointment, where they are worried that they might lose their baby or are worried for their health or the health of child, do not have to run the gauntlet of placards that might be highly visual or disturbing.

We are talking, in this legislation, about 100 m, and a few thousand metres across the State as a whole. It is also proportionate that it will still allow protest to take place. It allows places of worship to continue as heretofore, and it allows protests here at the Dáil and on most of the main thoroughfares of our cities and towns. Campaigning against access to abortion is legitimate. Many people disagree deeply with it, and are entitled to protest against it. Many decent people have conscientious objections. In most instances, they object reasonably. However, unfortunately, there are exceptions. We can see, from international experience, that services that provide terminations can be a focus for protest, sometimes of the most aggressive kind, that can attempt to put vulnerable women under pressure at a time that they deserve calm and peace more than ever.

I note the recent removal of posters from marches against abortion by members of the public. For the record, I think such behaviour is contemptible and stupid. I do not think it should be controversial for people who support access to termination to say so. People are entitled to protest and demonstrate that those protests are happening, and that should be protected. What they are not entitled to do is to crowd the entrances of services to intimidate, discourage and harass, to impede access and to record these women or their partners. It is not unreasonable or disproportionate to protect women in these circumstances and is not unreasonable or disproportionate to prevent such conduct. It is for that reason that I support this Bill.

See this speech in context