Results 16,521-16,540 of 20,768 for speaker:Mattie McGrath

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (Resumed) (20 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I too welcome our guests and thank them for their attendance. Part one of the test for abortion on suicide grounds, as per the X case, is that as a matter of probability there must be a real threat posed to the life of the mother by way of self-destruction. Can psychiatrists judge, as a matter of probability, whether someone will commit suicide? Can they point to any published research...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I welcome and thank the guests. It is a relaxed session and I find it beneficial. The submission from Dr. Gerard Burke says it is unwise to attempt to produce a prescriptive legislative framework to cover all eventualities. Are clinical guidelines preferable and does legislation run the risk of being overly prescriptive? The witnesses make no reference to head 4 in the submission. Is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I am sticking to the heads of the Bill. I am making a comment outside of the Bill as a member of the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: The Chairman can be more fair to some than others. I am asking that the Chairman allow me to make a brief comment, within my time, as a member of the committee. Resources are a major issue and have come up all day. Where will we get the resources if and when we pass the legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I believe Dr. Coulter-Smith has an issue with the media. Does he believe some elements of the media are covering the issue fairly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: It is all relevant, as far as I am concerned.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I have questions for Dr. Peter Boylan and Dr. Mahony. I understand they are related through marriage-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: Good man.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I have no intention of withdrawing it. I am concerned that-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: The disappearance of the Minister this morning had as much relevance as what I said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: Given that the two doctors are leading advisers among the physicians in favour of the proposals made, is there a danger of group-think?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I welcome our guests. At the hearings of the committee in January Dr. Mahony dismissed the notion of performing late-term abortions in Irish hospitals. However, this Bill contains no term limits. While she told The Irish Times that babies who were viable would be kept alive, there seems to be a legal question about a potential liability which arises for doctors who deliberately induce a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: Could I get an answer to my question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: It is a waste of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I welcome our guests. If two consultant psychiatrists agree a patient is suicidal and this constitutes a real and substantial threat to her life which can be averted only by the termination of her pregnancy, do the witnesses envisage any situation in which they would disagree with them? The heads of the Bill provide for a situation in which a physically healthy woman carrying a perfectly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: He asked to be reminded.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: I am not saying that but he asked to be reminded if he-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: On a point of order, the Minister did not answer any questions. The Chairman thanked him for answering questions but he did not answer any. He ran out of the Chamber.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: It is a farce. The Minister ran out of the Chamber.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Heads of Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013: Public Hearings (17 May 2013)

Mattie McGrath: The Chairman is making it an even bigger farce by condoning that. If he wants to be fair and impartial, he should ask the Minister to reply to some questions.