Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

With regard to what Bishop Burrows said on abortion, politicians are not spineless. We have had a commission on assisted human reproduction and the Joint Committee on Health and Children held four public sessions on the issue. Both I and Senator Feeney attended those meetings. The situation in Ireland is quite clear. Irish courts give full protection to the foetus as soon as it is implanted into the uterus. However, it is the status of the embryo between fertilisation and implantation which remains in legal limbo. The fact that the morning-after pill is legally prescribed here implies the embryo has no protection before implantation into the uterus. This was the legal perspective in the High Court case dealing with the frozen embryos of a couple whose marriage had broken down and in the discussions that took place in the committee.

The impression has been given that politicians have not discussed this issue or that there is no position on it. My interpretation of the position, based on what was said at committee and what has happened in our courts, is that as soon as an embryo is implanted into the uterus, it has the full protection of the Irish courts, which technically makes abortion illegal. It is what happens before implantation that is not tied up legally. The important issue this House must discuss is the fact there is no legislation on the issue of in vitro fertilisation. Some 1,000 babies are born here every year by this method and neither mother nor baby have any legal protection in that regard. We should seek legislation on that issue.

The issues of human rights and vested interests have been mentioned often in the House in the context of our health services. I feel strongly on these issues and believe we should have a patient safety authority to protect patients within our heath care service. We have significant vested interests in our health care service, whether consultants, nurses unions, the administrators of the Health Service Executive or Ministers. Some of these advocate on behalf of patients, but it is not their main remit. We need a patient safety authority to change the health service dramatically. Senators who have spoken on the issue of human rights this morning appear to be considering this kind of advocacy for people who are vulnerable. Whether we are talking about people dealing with the courts or the health service, we need a statutory organisation that will look after the interests of people dealing with our public services. We should push for debate on these issues so we can make a difference to people's lives.