Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That was the first of three short points I wished to make: when initiated, the Bill had the Title it now has. We published heads of the Bill which were discussed in this Chamber and had a different title. For the record, however, it should be clear that the Title of the Bill has always been the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.

I know the Leas-Chathaoirleach does not wish us to trespass into other sections, so I will not do so other than to respond to Senator Ó Domhnaill's point, which carries quite a charge. I do not wish to paraphrase what he said, but essentially it was that the Bill contained little or no reference to the unborn - I believe he said there was none. That is manifestly untrue, and I am afraid it connotes a failure on the part of the Senator to read the Bill. The tests that are set out in sections 7, 8, 9 and 13 are clear and onerous. Not only that; in the plain terms of the Bill, if he cares to look at those sections, the Senator will see the following phraseology. The definition of "reasonable opinion" states that it is an opinion formed "in good faith which has regard to the need to preserve unborn human life as far as practicable". That is the precise phrase in the Constitution.

This will be a long debate - as long as it needs to be - but we really should not misrepresent matters.