Results 10,521-10,540 of 20,725 for speaker:Mattie McGrath

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Business of Joint Committee (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: No, I want to decide it now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: International Legal and Services Context: Dr. Gilda Sedgh, Guttmacher Institute and Ms Leah Hoctor, Center for Reproductive Rights (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: The centre for reproductive rights brought Ireland to court to seek changes to our abortion laws. Does Ms Hoctor consider that the pre-born child has any rights, in particular the right to life?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: International Legal and Services Context: Dr. Gilda Sedgh, Guttmacher Institute and Ms Leah Hoctor, Center for Reproductive Rights (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: The question I asked was, "Does Ms Hoctor consider that the pre-born child has any rights, in particular the right to life?"

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: International Legal and Services Context: Dr. Gilda Sedgh, Guttmacher Institute and Ms Leah Hoctor, Center for Reproductive Rights (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: That answers the question but I do not agree with Ms Hoctor. The United Nations committee on the rights of persons with disabilities stated that legalising abortion on disability grounds was a violation of the human rights of people with disabilities under the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. I travelled with some people to the UN in 2015 and attended the committee....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: International Legal and Services Context: Dr. Gilda Sedgh, Guttmacher Institute and Ms Leah Hoctor, Center for Reproductive Rights (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I attended a meeting of the committee and one of the women present had had a fatal foetal diagnosis but her child is now aged 11 and was with us. The committee made a statement on this quite recently, though the presentation was made in 2015. Two weeks ago, a UN committee also stated that "fatal" and "incompatible with life" were terms that should not be used.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: International Legal and Services Context: Dr. Gilda Sedgh, Guttmacher Institute and Ms Leah Hoctor, Center for Reproductive Rights (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I profoundly disagree. The HSE has issued new guidelines in recent times, discontinuing the use of the terms "fatal foetal" and "incompatible with life" and using softer terminology. I have brought forward a Private Members' Bill on the issue but the HSE has acquiesced already, with more compassionate and sensitive language on pregnant mothers or couples presented with such diagnoses....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I thank Dr. McCarthy for coming in. I have to take him up on something he said earlier about people saying back in 2013 or 2012 in the committee that I was a member of that there would be bus loads of psychiatrists coming in to allow abortions if the 2013 legislation went through. Can the witness enlighten us as to who claimed that or is he quoting from the records? I do not remember...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: In the committee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: In the hearings?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Perhaps Dr. McCarthy could check the record and respond to me later.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I was a member of the committee and I do not remember it being said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: There was no evidence for the suicides. It was remarked that threat could be grounds for abortion. Roughly, I believe, seven lives have been lost, seven too many as far as I am concerned, on the alleged threat of suicide. The floodgates did not open to use Dr. McCarthy's own words. On whether the abortion happens here or abroad, it was put to the witness that in Ireland the much lower...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: The witness was claiming it was irrelevant whether the abortions were here or abroad. I am putting it to him that is an indication that the legislation here has a prohibiting effect on the number of abortions. When compared with the numbers in England, and I am not going to get into a debate with Deputy O'Connell about the numbers, but they are much higher in England than here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: No, the Deputy did not. I did not say that. I would not say something like that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Professor, I know that the situation can arise during pregnancy where women suffer depression or mental health disorder and that we need to ensure that women are cared for in the best way possible. Would the witness agree that the optimal outcome would be that a woman, a mother, gets the support and treatment that she needs and that both she and her baby are safely delivered of the pregnancy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: The professor's comments are interesting. I respect totally his professionalism but was he being flippant with his comments about mental health because we had a witness in last week who said that every man, woman and child's mental health was affected by the amendment? Can I assume Dr. McCarthy was being flippant when he referred to mental health and marriage? Was the witness just being...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I do not scoff and laugh at anybody else. It is totally ignorant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It is ignorant and disparaging.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I did not make a joke. I would like to continue without the sideshows and the ignorant comments please.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Risks to Mental Health: Dr. Anthony McCarthy, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street (8 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: This is why the committee is such a charade. I do not interrupt anyone. It is a total charade. I am on several committees in this House and none of them behaves in this way. None of them. I am in and out of the finance committee all day.