Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The issue of conscientious objection is dealt with comprehensively in the Bill but as Senator Bacik has said, if we are to envisage a situation where a woman is in a room with a doctor, and she is distraught and in clear need of a service available as legislated for, and as voted for by the people of this country, are we really going to focus our attention on what the doctor is feeling rather than on the woman? Is that the intent of these amendments? Surely at this stage in our development as a republic, in that very troubling, traumatic and deeply distressing situation the woman and her needs should first and foremost be our focus.

I find it ironic in the extreme that a facade of Christianity is placed over this whole idea of conscientious objection because it is coming from the same stable that would refuse the rights of teachers to conscientious objection when they are asked at interview will they uphold the religious ethos of the school. We can be very sure that their chances of advancement in the teaching profession will be really stunted if they were to suggest that they have a conscientious objection to what they are being asked by a board of management or a principal.