Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 6, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following:“(2) No public moneys shall be provided by the Oireachtas to pay for the carrying out of a termination of pregnancy other than a termination of pregnancy in accordance with section 9or 10in a case where there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman.”.

I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, back to the House. This amendment is an attempt to give a voice to the majority of people who indicated, in research carried out by Amárach Research, that they were opposed to funding abortions publicly. According to the research, 44% of those opposed to public funding of abortions also voted "yes" in the referendum. This amendment is also an attempt to recognise that, where possible, the State should provide a mechanism for taxpayers to avoid complicity in the funding of procedures specifically designed to end the innocent human life of the foetus, as the Bill puts it. In this sense, the issue is clearly linked to that of conscientious objection.