Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

They have no respect for anyone, by the look of it. I believe in peaceful protest but there have been statements made in this Chamber to say that women should never be blocked going for any medical care. Of course they should not be blocked, regardless of what medical care is, but I cannot understand what the problem is with the right to peacefully protest within a certain slight area away from the building. I cannot understand that that is where democracy in this country is going to. People here inside the Dáil are encouraging people to protest outside the Dáil and outside a politician's house but not to protest outside a clinic where a child might be saved. I met many adults on this difficult subject in regard to abortion who were saved thanks to people intervening and peacefully protesting and thanks, perhaps, to families begging a mother who is definitely going through a tremendous difficulty, and that should always be respected.

The women is these cases are going through a serious crisis when they have to go this far. I have always felt that the resources of the State should be made available to help them but not to end a life. I will never support any motion or amendment that steers the direction away from the one thing for which we should be proud to stand in this island, namely, the right to have a baby born. Many people say the mother should have freedom of choice. The baby in the womb has no choice and it also needs to have choice. I will never block that choice.

I also ask the Minister to reconsider the idea of not allowing people to peacefully protest. I have no interest in people who want to protest, disrupt and cause hurt to people because any woman in that situation is in an very delicate place as it stands. We should be cautious and not create a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. Balancing these rights is a delicate task that requires careful consideration and I do not think consideration has been thought through here. There has been a swing in favour of abortion in this country. A democratic decision was made. Some 62% of the electorate in my constituency voted for abortion. I have met quite a number of people since who have told me they never realised the number of babies that would be aborted in this country. They are astonished. They thought there were a few difficult cases because that is the message they were sold. That is very sad.

Many people rather the subject of abortion not be brought up or discussed anymore because it is difficult for a lot of people. It is difficult for everybody. I know there are lovely people, whether inside in the Dáil or out there in the world, who have had abortions. I respect them and I understand the position they were in but they probably had no choice as such. They felt they had no choice but I believe there are choices out there. I am no expert and obviously I am not a woman. I respect that but while I am elected by the people of Cork South-West, I will continue to fight to save a life.

I will end by quoting an extremely good friend of mine, Pat McCarthy of Gurthdove, Goleen, who died yesterday. He was a very educated man. He said to me, when I mentioned abortion one time, that while there was a breath in his body, he would never support taking the breath from someone else's body. That man was buried in Kilmoe graveyard yesterday. Men and women like him educated me to oppose abortion in any way, shape or form. I plead with any woman who is going through a crisis pregnancy to come to my clinic and I will do everything humanly possible to help her. There is no point in anybody here or anywhere else in the world ever trying to change my mind. People should have the right to a peaceful protest. I will never agree with anybody screaming or shouting at people but a peaceful protest should be allowed. I will certainly support any amendments towards that end.

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