Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is also a tendency not to help young people beyond a position of hysteria in relation to this issue. We are in a serious situation where young people are giving great leadership but we owe it to them always to show that there is hope for the future as well. That needs to come out more in the media.

On a matter of significant public concern, there has been talk about the Government's stated intention to legislate for so-called safe access zones and to prevent any kind of even peaceful and respectful opposition to abortion from being expressed outside abortion facilities. I am glad to tell the Seanad today that the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, met a bunch of members and staff, mainly from the Joint Committee on Health, and he advised us of correspondence from the Garda Commissioner. I am happy to say this confirms "the Garda Commissioner's satisfaction with existing public order legislation to adequately deal with any reasonable public order incident that may arise at such centres." The Garda Commissioner confirmed the views he expressed at his recent meeting, presumably with the Minister or his staff, that protests to date at such centres had not contravened the law and had been peaceful. He stated that "no incident of criminality has been reported or observed as a result of a protest placed at or near the vicinity of a service centre." This tells us what we already knew.