Donegal Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill has tonight slammed the Fine Gael, Labour, and Sinn Féin parties for ramming the ‘Introduction of Abortion into Ireland Bill’ through Seanad Éireann.
The Fianna Fail Senator said this now means that Ireland will operate one of the most liberal abortion regimes in the world as no term limits exist.
And he says that under the legislation both Letterkenny General Hospital and Sligo General Hospital will be used to carry out these procedures.
“Labour Senator Jimmy Harte voted and spoke in favour of this legislation. In the Dail Donegal Deputies Joe McHugh (Fine Gael), Dinny McGinley (Fine Gael), Pearse Doherty (Sinn Féin), Padraig MacLochlainn (Sinn Féin), and Thomas Pringle (Independent) voted in favour of this legislation despite having given the Donegal Electorate Pro Life promises and commitments before the last General Election.
“I was at a loss as to how Sinn Féin Senators even though they were supportive of the Bill could vote against the inclusion of an amendment that was intended to reduce the suffering of the unborn child during an abortion. Sein Fein Senators also supported the ramming through of the Bill by voting for the guillotining of the legislation, this is outrageous.”
Speaking from Seanad Éireann this evening, Senator Ó Domhnaill said the passing of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, confirms his view the Government is trying to force into statute law a repugnant injustice.
He said the Bill is based on a false premise as there is absolutely no evidence that an abortion benefits someone who is suicidal.
“Doctors and experts gave evidence to the Oireachtas confirming this, which was ignored by Sinn Féin, Labour and Fine Gael. This evidence clearly showed that someone who has an abortion is at increased risk of self-harm, subsequent increase in mental health issues, substance abuse, and even suicide. For example:
1. The inclusion of suicide will mean a high false positive rate. Psychiatrists themselves readily and repeatedly highlighted the difficulties in assessing suicidal intent. This high false positive rate currently would mean 35 children’s lives are ended to ensure one correct decision.
2. In a 2006 study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, as many as 1 in 2 women reported suicidal ideation in women after abortion.
3. The eminent psychiatrist & suicide expert, Prof Kevin Malone highlighted that this Bill may normalise suicide in Ireland.
“Britain introduced a law, promised at the time, as a very restrictive abortion regime in 1967. The Law was introduced by the then Health Minister Lord Steel, who has recently said that Ireland would be making a grave mistake if it goes ahead with plans to legislate for termination on the grounds of a threat of suicide. In 1968 there were 22,332 abortions in England and Wales; by 1972 the number was 108,000. Today, in Britain, one in every five pregnancies ends in abortion.
“How can Donegal Sinn Féin TD’s proclaim to be Republican and to be standing up for most vulnerable in our Society while on the other hand voting to end the life of the most vulnerable in our Society – the unborn child.
“The Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read by Pádraig Pearce outside the GPO at the start of the Easter Rising 1916, states; The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all it’s citizens, and declares it’s resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all it’s parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally.
“Abortion is always a violent response to a crisis. In our desire to be compassionate to women, let us not lose sight of the fact that there are at least two human lives involved in a pregnancy.
“There is simply no other area of law where a threat of suicide for one person is sufficient to deprive another person of most basic fundamental right. Every baby who dies as a result of this legislation, dies due to a TD or Senator voting in favour of this Bill. Are we to abandon the principle of equality and decree that some human lives are less equal than others? This flies in the face of the Constitution’s words and also in the face of the proclamation of the Irish Republic”, concluded Senator Ó Domhnaill.
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