Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his officials for their work thus far on the Bill and I thank the House for its co-operation today and on previous days. I welcome the Bill very much. I remember the 1980s also, although I was not two years old. As with the Minister and his father, there was a split in my family. My father campaigned with Paddy Cooney on one side while my aunt campaigned on the other. One does not know anything about a situation until it visits one's own home. When my sister went through a marriage break-up in the early 1990s, through no fault of hers, my father changed his opinion very quickly. Until it visits one's own family, one cannot really say. Marriage is not about stability for women or anything like that. Marriage is a partnership and if it breaks down and cannot be reconciled, no one should have to go through four years of living in a bad situation. I thank the Minister and his officials and welcome the Bill.