James Heffernan (Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from that, I, on the other hand, quite welcome yesterday's ruling in Northern Ireland. To be honest, it is quite sensible that a medical intervention for the termination of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality be allowed. That is right and proper, and sensible. That is the position of most right-minded individuals on the island.

On the education issue, which has been raised also, I taught in the primary sector and I have received most of the sacraments, except a Catholic wedding and the last rites - some will say that those are somewhat related. I also encountered a difficulty because I trained in England. I taught in a Catholic school in the United Kingdom, where training for the sacraments - communion, confirmation or anything like that - takes place outside school hours, even though the school upholds its Catholic ethos. That is something that should come into education, especially at primary level, in this country. However, I will agree with Senator Mullen on one thing: there has been abject failure on behalf of Government to progress the idea of pluralism and reform patronage in the education sector.One need only listen to the president of Mary Immaculate College to know he speaks very dogmatically with a very strict Roman Catholic dogma. As a republican, I think in a republic of the people there should be a total separation of the powers of church and state. Such influence on our education system is wrong. I agree with Senator Mullen that it has been a major failure on the part of the Government, and hopefully this will change in the future.