Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sticking to the question. Will the Minister correct the record? He stated the opposite to what the definition states. The Minister is completely wrong, based on the definition in the Bill, to state that partial birth abortions are not permitted by the Bill. He called it infanticide under the law. It is not infanticide according to the Bill. I would call it infanticide, but the Bill does not.

According to the Minister of State, Deputy White, the definition of "reasonable opinion" in sections 7, 8 and 9 is based on a direct quote from Article 40.3.3° of the Constitution, which he stated as "having regard to the need to preserve unborn life as far as practicable", but this is not true, as the Article mentions having regard to the right to the life of the unborn and the need to preserve it as far as practicable and to defend and vindicate that right. The duty to respect by its laws the right to life of the unborn is not qualified by the words "as far as practicable". There is a very important difference.

I would particularly like the Minister to correct the issue of the definition of "unborn" in the Bill. The Minister disputed the definition by stating that a partial birth abortion would be infanticide, but that is not the case, according to the definition in the Bill.