Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to develop one point. Senator McDowell spoke about the referendums on freedom of information and freedom to travel in the early 1990s.As we know, they were passed. I respectfully ask a question of my colleagues who disagree on this issue. Do they think it is right that women should have the freedom to travel and the freedom to have information to abortion? If they do, I have a difficulty because what they are really saying by implication is, "Look, we don't like abortion, but you can have one. Just don't have it here." There is something fundamentally wrong with that.

Equally if they do not agree with that, it is fine. I ask them to articulate their position as to why they believe it is fundamentally wrong for women to have access to travel and access to information. However, if they accept it is right, how can it be otherwise than saying, "You can have an abortion, but just don't have it here." That is why 12 women are travelling on a plane today. That is why women are taking abortion pills here today, having abortions here in Ireland without medical care or supervision. That is why Dr. Rhona Mahony says it is time to stop playing Russian roulette with women's lives.

I also respectfully ask my colleagues to think about the message they are sending to women today. We know from the evidence we received that right now a woman cannot receive medical treatment until she is dying. That is what our doctors told us. My colleagues may believe in some giant conspiracy, but that is what the heads of two of the maternity hospitals told the committee. That status quois just not tenable. I am genuinely shocked that people would think it is acceptable to maintain the status quothat a woman must be dying before she can receive medical intervention. Unfortunately, that is the truth. That is what we were told by the head of the National Maternity Hospital and by Dr. Peter Boylan, and it is the truth. Is that the message they want to send out here today? I ask our colleagues on the other side of the argument to deal with these issues.

My last point is simple. Senator Leyden mentioned 1983 and he is entitled to his opinion. He is obviously very proud of what happened back then. I was horrified by what happened back then. Each of the 35 years we have gone through has shown how horrific that is. We do not have to look back to the victim of the X case, because, as I mentioned yesterday, a 12 year child had to go to Britain for an abortion just a few weeks ago. Unless we act on this amendment, the next 12 year old child, the next victim of rape, will have to go to Britain for an abortion. I cannot countenance that. It is fundamentally wrong that victims of rape or incest have to leave the country to have that issue dealt with. It is scandalous and a shocking indictment of our country.