Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Sinn Féin group for introducing this legislation and giving us an opportunity to discuss the issue. I commend Together For Safety on its work in putting this legislation together, bringing the issue to the floor of the House and making sure that we do not forget our obligations as legislators to deal with it.

Senator Clifford-Lee mentioned our recent trip to Poland on behalf of the all-party Oireachtas group on sexual and reproductive rights. It was a surreal experience. One almost forgets how fraught and difficult the campaign was in this country and how it lasted for 35 years. In some ways, Poland reminded me of what Ireland was like 20 years ago. That is how much it has regressed and how scary a place it is to campaign for such issues. Women spoke to us about being intimidated while they were peacefully protesting and the heavy-handed approach taken by law enforcement. They were concerned that someone would die as a result, which has happened since we returned to Ireland. The situation in Poland is worrying. In some ways, it was uplifting to be able to talk about the Irish experience of what we went through - the Citizens' Assembly, the cross-party Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, of which I was a member, and the people's vote in the referendum that provided for abortion services with a two thirds majority, which was a resounding yes vote. The response we received from parliamentarians in Poland was that ours was an uplifting and positive story from what was considered to be a predominantly Catholic and conservative country. We managed to turn the situation around even though it took a lengthy campaign.

We are on the next step now, though. We have abortion services, but we do not have full access across the board and there is a level of intimidation outside where services are being provided. Senator Keogan referenced some of my comments in this Chamber regarding the need for a balancing of rights. She is correct, in that I did say that, but it would have important to give my full comment because there was context to what I said. I believe that the enacting of legislation for safe access zones is the correct balance to strike. Whatever we do, we are always balancing rights. It is about striking the right balance. There are peaceful protests, but as Senator Black outlined, when people are standing outside a clinic or hospital holding a small coffin or white cross, it is intimidating. It is not there to reassure or be pleasant to an individual. Rather, it is intimidation. It is the right of every citizen to challenge the laws of this country and the policies of the Government. If people have issues with how we are doing things, they can protest outside Leinster House or the offices of policymakers and lawmakers. Do not protest at innocent citizens who are accessing services that are legal.