Results 3,121-3,140 of 3,241 for speaker:Brian Ó Domhnaill

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Many members of staff in the midwifery section of Letterkenny General Hospital and many other hospitals have conscientious objections and are highly concerned about the introduction of this legislation. Like midwifery staff, pharmacists, who have been mentioned during this debate, have raised their conscientious objection to the provision of the services they will be expected to provide...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I move amendment No. 53:In page 15, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Dignified Disposal of Foetal Remains 23. (1) The bodily remains of a foetus who has been the subject of a termination of pregnancy carried out by surgical means shall be disposed of only by way of: (a) burial in a burial ground for the purposes of section 44 of the Local Government (Sanitary...

Seanad: Centenary of 1918 General Election and Irish Women’s Right to Vote: Motion (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I acknowledge the wonderful recognition that Vótáil 100 brings to women's suffrage. It is only 100 years ago that women were given the vote. That extended democracy in Ireland and we should all be proud of and acknowledge the role played by those women. We owe those leading lights a huge debt of gratitude. I think today of one my relatives, Eithne Coyle, who was a leading...

Seanad: Centenary of 1918 General Election and Irish Women’s Right to Vote: Motion (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am being modest. That is not hard to do, as Senator Wilson said. I commend Senator Bacik and others, like Senator Ruane and other great advocates in the Seanad, on the work they do on behalf of women.

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I move amendment No. 1:In page 6, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following:“(2) No public moneys shall be provided by the Oireachtas to pay for the carrying out of a termination of pregnancy other than a termination of pregnancy in accordance with section 9or 10in a case where there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman.”. I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This is, in turn, an acceptance of the idea that what we are dealing with regarding abortion is an action in a completely different moral and ethical category to anything else. This is where we will disagree profoundly, as Senator Norris said. To my mind, abortion is a deliberate ending of the life of the foetus and is a wrong action upon an entirely innocent party. To then ask those with...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: May I ask for a point of clarification?

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: On the point of clarification, am I not supposed to talk about the amendment?

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The point with Shannon Airport is critical to this amendment. Deputy Clare Daly in the other House, while making the point about taxpayers funding services to which she objected conscientiously, stated that, "It is clear by the actions of this Government, like its predecessors, that we are complicit in war activities, as promoted primarily by the United States and NATO". I draw the analogy...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: There are those, such as Deputy Clare Daly and perhaps Senator Norris and others, who say that it is hypocritical to adopt the position forcefully that we can somehow wash our hands of complicity just because we are not literally taking part in the action with which we profoundly disagree. Amárach Research has confirmed that people are not comfortable with this action. If we take the...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The Minister is shaking his head, but no regulatory impact analysis was published with the Bill.

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: It is when there is an impact on the taxpayer. Good laws are made when we are clear on their implications. For instance, I have looked at some of the figures in the United States where the carrying out of abortions is widespread. The taxpayer covers roughly 24% of abortion costs, which is in stark contrast with what is being proposed here. It has been proposed that the taxpayer cover all...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: According to the Guttmacher Institute's survey of self-reported reasons for abortion, only 1% of abortions are carried out owing to rape. A further 0.5% are carried out owing to incest. Some 12% are carried out as a result of mothers reporting problems with their physical health, although, according to the Guttmacher Institute, probably only 2.8% of cases involve life-endangering...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: In the future we could end up in a situation where the taxpayer would fund private abortion service providers in Ireland. There is nothing whatsoever in the Bill to disallow it.

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: There is nothing in the Bill to disallow it.

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The Minister can argue that this is not what we are proposing to do.

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am. There is nothing in the Bill that would prevent the HSE from opening a tendering process for private providers or concluding a service level agreement with them. Therefore, we could end up with a cartel industry funded by the taxpayer. I continue to be an ardent supporter of the right to life. I am proud to stand with my colleagues to contest an attempt to abridge laws that protect...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: It is very short and includes just two paragraphs. It is from Dr. Jarlath Deignan and was recently published in The Irish Times. He wrote:The HSE, at the behest of the Department of Health, has offered GPs like myself a fee of €450 to provide a termination of pregnancy service to an eligible patient. This fee is over twice that payable to GPs for providing seven antenatal visits to...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This is exactly what I am talking about. People have a fundamental objection and feel unease at the way the entire agenda is being financed. Surely it is not beyond our wit to devise something along the lines of an opt-in revenue mechanism for the publicly funded provision of abortion services. Those who wish to opt in could apply to Revenue which would allow a calculated percentage of...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2018)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: With respect-----