John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 16 relates to it. If we accept that suicidal risk is a legitimate grounds for termination then we accept the legitimacy of section 9; otherwise, we do not. I would contend that the difference between me and those who do not share my view relates essentially to our respective attitudes to mental health. Efforts to separate out the risk of suicide ground are a clear pointer to the holder's views on mental health. Senator Walsh said earlier in this debate that we are pretending when it comes to suicide. I do not agree. I worked in the area for a long time and I do not believe anybody is pretending. Senator Fidelma Healy Eames asks about the woman who gets better in a month's time and asks for her baby. That question demonstrates a fundamental attitude towards mental health that I as a professional had hoped was gone from this country 40 years ago. It is paternalistic, treating people like they are-----