Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am coming to a conclusion. I am grateful to the Cathaoirleach. As I said yesterday, I want to say what needs to be said, no more and no less, before addressing the points that are raised. That is appropriate on Committee Stage. The time we have spent on this matter is as nothing to the time I have spent on the phone and in meetings with good and ethically minded professionals who are terrified of what is in this Bill and the implication for their ability to give compassionate care. I have a duty, as do the other Senators presenting these amendments, to be faithful to those decent professionals. These are not the awkward squad, as I mentioned, but rather people who want to keep best medical traditions going where they see those traditions as being attacked by this Bill. I was urging the Minister not to want to turn this into a war between those who agree with abortion and those who disagree with it.

Senator Ó Domhnaill referred to the case in Norway and it was very instructive that the Supreme Court of Norway found just weeks ago that Dr. Katarzyna Jachimowicz had acted within her rights when refusing to follow through with a medical procedure with which she had a moral objection. The court held that health clinics and hospitals could not fire staff who asserted such objections. It is interesting as this law will not require the firing of staff but it will allow it.