Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I suppose I am generally supportive of the amendment, but I appreciate that when one tries to provide for such a concept in law one's language has to be very precise. I note what Senator Bacik and my party colleague, Senator Colm Burke, have said. The Minister indicated earlier - perhaps it was last week - that the Holles Street people have spoken about the fact that terminations will not be carried out in the way suggested by Senator Walsh last week. Perhaps we need to know exactly what the current medical practice is. It is okay to say what it is not, but we need to know what it is. Obviously, the Minister has the power to introduce regulations. In fairness, he has said many times previously that he will introduce regulations. I think it would be very helpful if we knew now what those regulations are because we are being asked to buy a pig in a poke. I certainly look forward to seeing these regulations as soon as possible.

Colleagues have mentioned, in the context of this Report Stage amendment, the language that was used during last week's debate. While I accept that the language in question upset some colleagues, I cannot get my head around the possibility that the abortion or termination will involve a stork coming to take the baby, as I said last week. When we talk about a termination or an abortion, we are talking about the unborn person's life being ended medically, surgically or through a combination of medical and surgical means. We need to know what the procedures will be when they are prescribed by the Minister by regulation or otherwise, in so far as they can be so prescribed. If he is ruling out some of the methods outlined by Senator Walsh, that is good. I wish it were the case that the use of these methods stopped 15 or 20 years ago, but there is a great deal of international evidence that they are being used as we speak.