Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has hit out at what he has described as “disgraceful laughing and jeering” seen in the Dáil last night moments before abortion exclusion zones legislation was voted through.
In footage which can be viewed below, some TDs, which Deputy McGrath said included left-wing and Sinn Féin deputies, seemed to erupt into laughter after ten pro-life TDs stood in the chamber to signal that they would be voting No to the Safe Access Zones Bill:
The legislation, passed last night by 117 votes to 10, will now proceed to the Seanad after passing the fifth and final stage in the Dáil. If signed off on in the Seanad, as is anticipated, the law will soon make it a criminal offence to pray or peacefully protest within 100 metres of abortion centres, hospitals, and GPs where abortion is offered.
As highlighted by Deputy McGrath, a staunch opponent of the Bill, last night, those who pray or witness outside of places where abortions are performed can be issued warnings with a criminal conviction resulting in a fine of up to €2,500 and-or up to six months in prison for third and subsequent offences, as per section 5(3), which is a prerequisite for committing an offence under the legislation.
Speaking to Gript today, Deputy McGrath slammed the conduct of those in the chamber last night, as he detailed how “laughing and smirking and jeering” had taken place before the Bill was voted through to minimal opposition.
He said that People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith had targeted the ten TDs who stood against the legislation. Deputy Smith clarified that she was standing up in protest, and not standing up to join with those voting against the legislation, which met with laughter and “jeering” from a number of Sinn Féin TDs and some others, according to Deputy McGrath.
In the footage from last night, Deputy McGrath can be heard retorting, “It’s not so funny” as he went on to call out the Deputies, who he described as “an utter disgrace.”
“The laughing and the smirking is so sad,” he said. “It’s evil, and it’s disgraceful that elected representatives would laugh and smirk at such an overwhelming vote for a Bill that is not necessary, and will have damaging repercussions.”
“How Sinn Féin can be so joyous about the passing of the legislation is beyond me. I told the deputies, ‘You are an utter disgrace. You are here laughing and jeering about abortion and a law which will target babies in Ireland, and at the same time, here you are acting as though you are so concerned about the children in Gaza. Those are crocodile tears.'”
“I told them they were shedding crocodile tears for Gaza while they were jeering about abortion,” Deputy McGrath told Gript.
“If the public saw how they behaved, people would be sickened by their attitude,” he added.
“The way they were all laughing, it was disgraceful. Here Sinn Féin are talking about the children of Gaza, yet they want more and more babies aborted in Ireland. They need to be called out on their hypocrisy, and I did that last night.”
“The laughing, and the glee, and the smirking, it’s evil as far as I am concerned. This Bill is complete overkill, and this legislation is not necessary,” Deputy McGrath added.
“There should be no jubilation about the passing of this legislation and the banning of the right to peaceful protest and prayer, especially when we are talking about the lives of thousands of unborn babies,” he said.
Deputy Bríd Smith’s office has been contacted for comment.
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All the jeering and the mockery reveals what kind of people SF are. They are a band of bullies. If they are like that in public, we can only imagine what kind of jeering of us goes on behind backs. I would not expect SF to have any respect for human life. Their only respect is for abortion without anaesthetic right up to date of delivery. They do not tolerate dissent, so no view that opposes the SF view is allowed. Brid Smyth is known to be crazy for abortion.
You lost the debate Rita. It’s as simple
As that.
Jack you need to take it easy with the abuse. We know that as a gay man you have good reason to have no time for the church. We won the referendum just be greatful for that.
A) that’s hardly abuse
B) it’s astonishing that in this day and age guy think calling me gay is an insult
The Gript fanatics truly are deplorable
You know the regime is rattled when they deploy the trolls to pathetically try to infiltrate and discredit the ever increasing and more vocal silent majority…………….we see you
You think the regime is rattled? 😂 what on earth by? The 32% of you who voted against repeal – most of which are aged over 70?
I think we can take you.
Daft.
You clearly have some mental health issues. A better place to vent your anger is with a clinician.
Another one who just doesn’t like hearing other views in his nice save right wing echo chamber.
It was hardly an insult – just a statement of fact. You have a persecution complex.
Hah sure – religious and right wing fanatics claiming their rights are being infringed, YOU claiming the poor right wingers are having their rights infringed but I’m
The one with the persecution complex.
Good lad.
No lessons have been learnt from the disaster of the No Campaign in 2018. As David Quinn starkly observed to Ivan Yates shortly after the result of the Repeal the 8th vote was foregone conclusion: the only people who voted No were the always already committed no voters. In essence, there may as well have been no No campaign. It was truly pathetic.
And yet here you are – clearly having learned nothing.
Firstly there was no winning that referendum – the 8th was a disgusting invention that had to be removed. You’d have been better off supporting it’s removal and focusing on the aftermath.
Still –
McGuirk, Quinn, Jim Stack, Niamh Ui Bhriaon – these people are Loathed. They will convince no one. Don’t make them your advocates.
You want an effective anti-abortion campaign? Abandon the church. Abandon religious zealots. Modern voters want nothing to do with it or them.
Campaign for strong sex education, a pro longed public educational campaign, free contraception, and investment in university bursaries, housing and support for young women in crisis pregnancies.
Stop saying no to abortion and start making yourselves part of the solution. Over time you’ll see a significant reduction in abortion.
Do you have the stomach for that?
Dude!!. I voted yes. Calm down 😆😆😂😂😂
So what’s pathetic about it?
I think 33 percent as a bad failure
Why? I’m astonished they got that much. Not only was the 8th bad law, bad policy – but they were led by troglodytes. 33% was a good day for them.
What is disgusting is that despite it being basic biology that human life begins at conception, people voted for the removal of the explicit recognition that child and mother had an equal right to life. Every single medical excuse given for going to England to end the child’s life was just that, all the medical issues cited were dealt with here and generally quite well, but people voted for expedience. IIRC it was claimed that seven women, including Savita Halippannavar, had died as a result of the Eight Ammendent, but when dug into it was shown that the Eight Amendment was responsible for none of their deaths.
They have had the evil of contraception in Britain for a long time and yet they still kill children in large numbers.
There is far more evil in modern day Ireland than when we were a Catholic country – an evil inversion, much degeneration is called progress.
The campaign in 2018 was a series of bad arguments that are still being recited now with the same result. We live in a market place of ideas and you can either learn to sell your wares convincingly or accept that there is not a market for them. The numbers will ultimately always decide.
“The evil of contraception.”
That, ladies and gentlemen is all you need to know about the people who support the 8th. Witless fanatics.
Your day is done.
My church is directly opposite a GP clinic. If I pray on church grounds will I be at risk of criminal action? Regardless my religious freedom is absolute and I will break this law if I so choose.
And you can be prosecuted for it. And no freedom is “absolute” – you religious zealots are all for restricting women’s freedom.. so why shouldn’t your freedom to chat to the sky fairy be restricted?
Typical right wing hypocrite – the rights you value are “absolute” – the ones you don’t have to be restricted.
You’re a very embittered old crank. We have a pluralist society here. You have to stop beating people up because of their views.
That’s Hilarious.
A) millennial liberal. Not old crank.
B) this is a blog catering to right wing religious nuts – a demographic skewing wildly old. Mostly 60+ more likely 70+.
The old cranks are the ones swallowing what this website puts out.
C) pluralism? The people on here aren’t keen pluralism you hypocrite. It’s gods way or prison for them. No abortion, no gays, no women’s rights. They’re not so big on pluralism on the right.
It’s hilarious how right wing fanatics are bleating about rights now they’re a minority. It’s only now they’re big on rights – when they were denying peoples rights that was perfectly fine.
The people here with their religious, homophobic, anti women views are toxic. I don’t have to tolerate their views and I take great satisfaction from pointing out their hypocrisy, their immorality, their selfishness but most of all, MOST OF ALL the fact they’ve lost. The pillars of their ideal society have all been torn down.
Millennial Liberal! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
you are the only toxic person I have seen in this comment section you also seem the most intolerant.you are assuming everyone who doesn’t like the murder of unborn babies is religious too which is nonsense but you do know if you don’t agree with any religion or their beliefs you don’t have to live by their standards or have any part of it right?like leave,neither of you would miss each other that is clear.The fact you are in favour of restricting freedoms to basically stick it to the church tells a lot about you…abortion has passed which is great for people but this isn’t about making it illegal again,this is about taking freedom of speech and expression from people who are not inside your body which will lead to the possibility of restricting other thing’s when the government feel like it…
A) it is unquestionably the case that the anti abortion commentariat skews wildly religious. McGuirk, Quinn, Ui Bhriain, Jim Stack – all religious hard cases. Of course it’s not ALL, but a significant proportion.
B) I don’t have to live by it? There you show your ignorance and hypocrisy Maria. I DO in fact have to live by it. The 8th amendment meant we ALL had to.
Furthermore over 90% of the schools are
Controlled by the Church so my kids are left without secular options.
You are absolutely TOTALLY statistically incorrect Maria. The religious right wing nuts want us all controlled by their religion.
C) I am in favour of removing church from public policy utterly. It is nothing but divisive the world over. If religious head cases kept their faith to themselves none of it would be necessary.
D) Leave? That’s your suggestion? You think i should leave my country because I don’t like being controlled by Catholics. And you whine about me trampling on rights? Gross hypocrisy. And a complete and total selfish lack of regard for other people.
Jack,point at this doll and show me where someone hurt you…
response to B,you did not in fact have to live by nor were you affected by the 8th amendment as I doubt you ever needed an abortion…why are you so mired in the past while dead set on actually destroying our freedoms for the present and future?
where did I tell you leave the Country?dude you could be living in someone else’s Country and you would have to leave the planet to get away from them all because religions are everywhere,I suggested you leave Religious institutions and just live your life now with all the freedom you have that people never had before…and chill out like.
As for your kid’s,well I have 2 and neither gives a jack shite(no reference to your name but it so aptly applies) about religion,far be it for me to tell you how to parent but my God even you surely can manage a little home education, even Catholic schools have an exemption from religion based on A)it’s not the child’s Religion and B)who gives a shite
Well, I AM old but not dogmatic and prejudiced like you.
Religious? Not in the slightest, and I do believe religion has been the source of so much strife in the world (witness the current struggle in Palestine & Israel, and many others around the world usually involving Muslims). At the same time, religion can be a source of great comfort to some and can provide cultural continuity between generations bringing with it a sense of belonging to a nation’s tradition. The latter of course is being lost with the large scale import of peoples with alien customs and ideas.
No women’s rights? You have never seen the articles here on transgenderism and its attacks on women?
Homophobic? You have lost me. Your rant says more about your own insecurities and phobias than anything about the readership here.
Their hypocrisy, their immorality, their selfishness? More charges without a shred of evidence. You really do sound like someone with hatred burning up your soul. Everything you write is charged with anger. And your final couple of lines reveal a sadist who revels in the misfortune of others. You would have been quite at home with the Nazis
A) see my comment above. McGurk. Ui Brian, stack, Quinn. Religious zealots all of them. There’s no way getting away from the fact that the readership is overwhelmingly religious right wing.
B) let religion be a comfort. Privately. Keep it out of public policy, keep it out of schools hospitals. One religion being given supremacy over everyone leads to strife.
C) the 8th trampled on women’s rights. Magdalene laundries, fallen women, banning contraception, prohibiting divorce – all driven and supported by the kinds of people on here. All supported by right wing religious nuts.
As for the trans movement – the pious defence of women’s rights here rings very hollow to me in light of the right track record.
D) homophobic
See Mary Martins comments to me – suggesting im gay. Matters not a damn to me but the fact they think it’s an insult speaks volumes about them.
See also – opposition to same sex marriage, opposition to gay adoption, opposition to contraception, support for the prohibition on gay intercourse. All supported by who? You guessed it. The religious and right wing hard cases to be found on these pages.
E) hypocrisy immorality and selfishness. See above. All valid charges given the church and right wing states positions over the years.
F) misfortune of others? That’s like telling me we shouldn’t be glad the nazis were beaten.
You think I’m at home with the Nazis? I oppose inflicting dogma on individuals. The people on these pages are the opposite. They (and you) can’t claim to be in support of freedoms while also supporting the 8th amendment. They can’t claim to support freedom while also insisting Every school be controlled by the Catholic Church.
You have it backwards. I celebrate the DEMISE of the fascists. And you haven’t realised quite whose side you’re on.
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is not about religion. So you think that if they both accepted the same religion there would be no conflict? You have no idea what the conflict is about.
If you’re seriously claiming religious belief hasn’t led to turmoil in the Middle East you’re delusional.
Religion is divisive. Keep it to yourself. Keep it out of schools.
With the demographic decline of the Irish Nation,due to a low birthrate, abortion is National suicide.
Those who voted for abortion are the same ones who parade’ ‘Refugees welcome’ and have a death wish for the extermination of the Irish race..
You’re mentally unwell.
So true, Daniel.
We in the UK already have this disgraceful law in place. I speak as someone who is not anti-abortion but a firm believer in limitations on its use, and much more counselling and reflection periods for couples and women contemplating going down that route. I write with feeling because I made a too hasty decision once and have regretted it ever since. The most shameful thing I ever did. And one can never compensate for it.
I see, so you now you get to be dad for everyone is it? Jos had an experience and all of us better learn from it? How fortunate we all are to have you!
Safe access zones keep people from intimidating vulnerable women. If a person is anti abortion they really have no business hanging around a clinic.
If they want to protest protest on a March, or outside the Dail. If they want to pray – that’s what a church is for.
theyve absolutely no business outside the clinic Itself. If they had a shred of real Christian virtue they’d actually understand that.