Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gilroy for that kind thought. She certainly has more money than I have but she deserves every penny of it. She is a very talented and committed broadcaster. Her appointment will enhance considerably the status of RTE. I call on Moya and the newly appointed members, when they take their seats on the newly appointed RTE board, to reverse the decision by RTE management to shut this transmitter down, and they can do so.

I applaud the initiative of several hundred British MPs who passed a motion in the House of Commons yesterday to clarify what is the illegal practice of gender abortions in the United Kingdom - in other words, women seeking abortions because they do not like the gender of the baby - which is an appalling vista. This particular illegality is promoted by British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which advises on 60,000 abortions each year. Its leaflet states it is legal to do this. The British Medical Association is also very fuzzy in regard to whether it is legal but the British MPs who voted overwhelmingly yesterday to clarify the law say it is an illegal act to have a gender-based abortion. It opens up the appalling vista that there could be in this country if there was abortion on demand. I applaud the British MPs on their initiative.