Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----then it would be very much caught by this legislation.

What the Senator said does not offer reassurance to anybody who thinks it would be wrong to criminalise a person for simply expressing a view to a third party, such as a party who happens to be involved in the provision of services in a hospital across the road from where the conversation is taking place. This shows that the legislation is extremely draconian. It is about silencing. In a country where we have differences of opinion and where particular services are now legally available, I am up for making sure the law prevents anybody from being harassed or intimidated or any of that bad stuff. As for stopping people from having a conversation in a coffee shop, we all need to call ourselves aside here.