Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I understand and I do not wish to, but the point I am making is that we have many inadequacies and deficiencies in our health service and what is being done here with public money is an unjust procedure that ends life. That contrast is important for the understanding of the amendment. This is what people are saying. My office received an email from a woman in Wexford who asked why there was such a terrible fuss about the fact that not every hospital in the country would have abortion on 1 January. She said that maybe somebody should point out that if her father had a heart attack, he could not go to Wexford Hospital but would have go to Waterford. I am getting that kind of correspondence as well. Even the poorest people in our society face certain fees for treatments and medication despite having medical cards, yet abortions are to be available for free even to the wealthy.

I am happy to leave it at that. There is more I could say but, as I have said on previous occasions, I do not want to repeat myself. I want to say no more and no less than what must be said. I remind my colleagues that this is the first time this amendment has been presented and I look forward to hearing what the Minister and others have to say about it.