Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The debate has been very conciliatory and informed. I fully respect every opinion that has been expressed here from both sides of this very sensitive argument. It is important that we go forward from here respecting each other's views and opinions and not castigating those who may wish to retain the eighth amendment as being somehow antiquated or old because nothing could be further from the truth. In my humble opinion, the Constitution has stood this country well since 1937 and it has given rights to the people such as the right to personal liberty, the right to freedom of expression, the right to freedom of assembly, the right to privacy and the right to life. Which of those rights is more important than the other? Would the right to life be less important than the right to privacy? Is the right to life less important than the right to freedom of expression? Is the right to life less important than the right to freedom of assembly? In my humble opinion the answer is "No" and, therefore, I stand to retain the eighth amendment and the protection of the right to life. It is as simple as that. I am not coming from any religious background trying to argue something on behalf of any organisation outside these Houses. I am coming here with my own opinion firmly of the view that we should retain that very unique protection of human life whether it is born or unborn. For me, there is no difference because we were all there at one stage of our human existence whether we were the size of a finger nail or thumb, moving our eyelid in the womb or otherwise because to argue otherwise would be to say that a person who is 6 ft has more rights than someone who is 3 ft 5 in. We cannot argue on the size of someone's being. We cannot say that a Kenyan athlete is faster than an American athlete because he is smaller. We cannot argue about human life on that basis. Some would have us believe that we can. I do not subscribe to that.

The committee's recommendations are to relinquish the right to life in the Constitution and replace it with something else.