Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Government does not need help from me for it to be characterised as sometimes being paternalistic in its attitude towards women. There is evidence of that in multiple pieces of legislation such as the mother and baby homes legislation, which told people they are somehow unaffected because they spent less than six months in an institution, and legislation that tells women they have to wait three days to access healthcare, something we do not see in any other kind of healthcare provision, so it is not some kind of narrative I am setting about the Government. There is evidence of that and here we go again. We are supposed to be celebrating because finally the statement that a women's place is in the home in 2023 is going to be removed from the Constitution and the Government is doing it on International Women's Day as if it is some kind of huge gift to us.

The Taoiseach previously stated that he would feel reluctant and uncomfortable to make changes to the repeal legislation. I feel reluctant and uncomfortable at the prospect of healthcare decisions for women being informed by politicians' comfort levels rather than women's autonomous decisions, expert advice or doctors' clinical judgment. The Taoiseach's reluctance to amend the law also flies in the face of the legislation itself. We said we would review the legislation and I think everybody can agree that the idea was that the review would inform how the legislation can improve. Will the Government take on the recommendations of Marie O'Shea's report?

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