Results 561-580 of 3,998 for speaker:Michael Harty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: We will not negotiate with the UK.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: We can put an emphasis on our particular relationship with the UK regarding all the issues, not just medical issues.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: Before we conclude, the Brexit negotiations have not started. This is our first meeting with the witnesses in regard to Brexit. Hopefully, there is a possibility that we can ask them to appear again once the negotiations have started to see if we can clarify some issues which could not be clarified today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: Mr. O'Connor might take two or three minutes to wrap up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I thank Mr. O'Connor.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implcations for Health Sector of United Kingdom's Withdrawal from the EU: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I thank Mr. Monks, Mr. Goodman, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Smyth and Ms Flynn for updating us on the preparations for our Brexit negotiations on health matters. I suspect we will be asking them to appear before us some time in the future to give us an update. We will now go into private session to prepare for a meeting at 5.30 p.m. concerning the UN special rapporteur.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I welcome our guests from the office of the UN special rapporteur and the National Women's Council of Ireland. The purpose of this evening's session is to discuss the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health. Professor Dainius Pras and Ms Orla O'Connor, director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, are with us today. I draw the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I thank Professor Pras for his presentation. I shall now open the discussion to members, beginning with Deputy Kate O'Connell who will make some observations and ask some questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I thank Deputy Kelleher. I am going to bring in some other contributors, Professor Pras. We have Deputy Louise O'Reilly and Senator John Dolan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I will call Senator Rónán Mullen too. I was going to bring in two from each, but one has left.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: On that, how does the UN view balancing the life of the unborn with the life of the mother?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: The UN does not take into account the right of the unborn prior to birth at all.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: The right of the unborn is not considered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: No, they are here at their own request.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: To follow on from my question, I am disturbed to think the UN does not take the rights of an unborn child into account on this issue. The passage of a child from its mother's womb to the outside world is a very short one but it seems to be jumping a huge gap in respect of its rights. We are, and will be, discussing abortion in our Parliament over the next number of months. In fact there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I have another question before I allow Senator Mullen to come back in. On Senator Dolan's remarks about chromosomal abnormalities, of which Down's syndrome would be the most common, is the UN position that it alone is a legitimate reason to have a termination of pregnancy? Whether on chromosomal abnormalities or other abnormalities, how does the UN judge an abnormality to be sufficient to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: Before Deputy O'Reilly comes in, it is a very interesting discussion, which I did not anticipate having this afternoon. It has been a very important discussion and perhaps far more informative than a debate in the House where there is no interaction. I think it is important.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: That is a very important aspect of what a child faces after it is born. I thank the Senator for that. Senator Mullen may make one final small comment before we allow the witnesses to leave.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I thank the Senator. On behalf of the committee, I thank Professor Pras and Dr. Orla O'Reilly. I meant to say Ms Orla O'Connor. I am giving everyone the title "Dr."

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Women's Reproductive Health: Discussion (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Harty: I think everybody in this committee has been called "Dr." at one stage or another by me. I thank the witnesses for coming in and stimulating a very interesting and timely debate on the issues. As there is no other business, this meeting of the joint committee is adjourned until Wednesday, 22 March. Members of the committee have one week's holidays.