Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of course, we will have to return to some of these issues at another time. All I would like to say for now is that I commend all that is good in this Bill but I deprecate all that is sad. I hear my colleague, Senator Higgins, referencing new life and in a background here is a new legal architecture in the State that is about ending new life.

I am very open. Where anybody needs care, after an abortion or otherwise, I do not see any logic or justice in excluding people from whatever benefits the State proposes to offer. That is a different point.

On what Senator Seery Kearney had to say about open and sensitive language, I so agree about sensitive language. We should always check and continue to adjust language if it is hurtful, etc., but sometimes we have to call a spade a spade too. Sometimes we have to say there is a time after which there are greater hazards, etc., in pregnancy. We have to be able to talk about issues.

We have to be able to talk about the fact that this Bill does not use the word "woman" anywhere. With great respect to all those who need support and care in our society, is the National Woman's Council to become the national pregnant people's council? There is a parallel universe sometimes in the language that is used around here where people talk about openness but refuse to get to grips with some of the aspects of this debate where we have to be able to disagree, but in a respectful way, but to talk about issues. It takes courage to call out some of the concepts that need to be in some way challenged.

I hope we can get to a place where we can have a thorough respectful debate and not have the situation like we had this morning where, when somebody expressed their sincerely held view, somebody else heckled them while on the way out of the Chamber, not even giving them the courtesy of listening to their case in full. There is much to be commended in this Bill but there are certain things that, to my mind, should carry a major warning about where we can go as a society when we close down the debate about life and its dignity.