The Social Democrats’ abortion (Reproductive Rights Amendment) Bill was defeated by 85 votes to 30 in a vote on Wednesday night. There were 36 abstentions.
TDs were given a free vote on the Bill, which would have abolished the three-day waiting period. Deputies from Labour, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit along with Independents, were among those who voted for the Bill, which was described in the Dáil as a proposal for “blanket decriminalisation.”
Sinn Féin voted to abstain, but said they would be bringing forward their own Bill to abolish the three-day waiting period between the first and the second abortion consultation. The party’s spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, last week introduced the Bill, claiming that it would remove the three day wait, and represent “practical and compassionate change.”
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil TD and Minister For Health Carroll MacNeill said yesterday that there were both legal and operational issues with the controversial Bill. She said she was in favour of some of the aims of the Bill, as she urged Holly Cairns TD to work with her through an alternative pathway.
Yesterday’s debate also heard from a range of pro-life TDs who voiced concerns – including Independent Ireland, Independents, and Aontú.
Here’s how TDs voted:
Ciarán Ahern (Labour)
Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fáil)
Ivana Bacik (Labour)
Grace Boland (Fine Gael)
Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit)
Holly Cairns (Social Democrats)
Ruth Coppinger (People Before Profit)
Jen Cummins (Social Democrats)
Aidan Farrelly (Social Democrats)
Gary Gannon (Social Democrats)
Sinéad Gibney (Social Democrats)
Eoin Hayes (Social Democrats)
Seamus Healy (Independent)
Rory Hearne (Social Democrats)
Barry Heneghan (Independent)
Alan Kenny (Labour)
Eoghan Kenny (Labour)
George Lawlor (Labour)
Paul Murphy (People Before Profit)
Ged Nash (Labour)
Cian O’Callaghan (Social Democrats)
Robert O’Donoghue (Labour)
Roderic O’Gorman (Green Party)
Liam Quiade (Social Democrats)
Pádraig Rice (Social Democrats)
Marie Sherlock (Labour)
Duncan Smith (Labour)
Mark Wall (Labour)
Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
Jennifer Whitmore (Social Democrats)
William Aird (Fine Gael)
Tom Brabazon (Fianna Fáil)
Brian Brennan(Fine Gael)
Shay Brennan (Fianna Fáil)
Colm Brophy (Fine Gael)
James Browne (Fianna Fáil)
Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
Mary Butler (Fianna Fáil)
Paula Butterly (Fine Gael)
Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil)
Michael Cahill (Fianna Fáil)
Catherine O’Callaghan (Fine Gael)
Dara Calleary (Fianna Fáil)
Seán Canney (Independent)
Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Fine Gael)
Jack Chambers (Fianna Fáil)
Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere (Fianna Fáil)
John Clendennen (Fine Gael)
Michael Collins (Independent Ireland)
Niall Collins (Fianna Fáil)
John Connolly (Fianna Fáil)
Joe Cooney (Fine Gael)
Cathal Crowe (Fianna Fáil)
John Cummins (Fine Gael)
Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
Martin Daly (Fianna Fáil)
Aisling Dempsey (Fianna Fáil)
Cormac Devlin (Fianna Fáil)
Alan Dillon (Fine Gael)
Albert Dolan (Fianna Fáil)
Michael Fitzmaurice (Independent Ireland)
Sean Fleming (Fianna Fáil)
Norma Foley (Fianna Fáil)
Pat the Cope Gallagher (Fianna Fáil)
James Geoghegan (Fine Gael)
Noel Grealish (Independent)
Marian Harkin (Independent)
Simon Harris (Fine Gael)
Danny Healy-Rae (Independent)
Michael Healy-Rae (Independent)
Martin Heydon (Fine Gael)
Emer Higgins (Fine Gael)
Keira Keogh (Fine Gael)
Paul Lawless (Aontú)
Michael Lowry (Independent)
Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil)
David Maxwell (Fine Gael)
Charlie McConalogue (Fianna Fáil)
Tony McCormack (Fianna Fáil)
Helen McEntee (Fine Gael)
Mattie McGrath (Independent)
Séamus McGrath (Fianna Fáil)
Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fáil)
John McGuinness (Fianna Fáil)
Aindrias Moynihan (Fianna Fáil)
Michael Moynihan (Fianna Fáil)
Shane Moynihan (Fianna Fáil)
Jennifer Murnane O’Connor (Fianna Fáil)
Michael Murphy (Fine Gael)
Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael)
Joe Neville (Fine Gael)
Carol Nolan (Independent)
Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fáil)
Jim O’Callaghan (Fianna Fáil)
Maeve O’Connell (Fine Gael)
James O’Connor (Fianna Fáil)
Willie O’Dea (Fianna Fáil)
Kieran O’Donnell (Fine Gael)
Richard O’Donoghue (Independent Ireland)
Ken O’Flynn (Independent Ireland)
Ryan O’Meara (Fianna Fáil)
John Paul O’Shea (Fine Gael)
Pádraig O’Sullivan (Fianna Fáil)
Naoise Ó Cearúil (Fianna Fáil)
Naoise Ó Muirí (Fine Gael)
Peter Roche (Fine Gael)
Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fáil)
Brendan Smith (Fianna Fáil)
Niamh Smyth (Fianna Fáil)
Edward Timmins (Fine Gael)
Gillian Toole (Independent)
Peadar Tóibín (Aontú)
Robert Troy (Fianna Fáil)
Cathy Bennett (Sinn Féin)
John Brady (Sinn Féin)
Pat Buckley (Sinn Féin)
Joanna Byrne (Sinn Féin)
Matt Carthy (Sinn Féin)
Réada Cronin (Sinn Féin)
Seán Crowe (Sinn Féin)
David Cullinane (Sinn Féin)
Pa Daly (Sinn Féin)
Máire Devine (Sinn Féin)
Pearse Doherty (Sinn Féin)
Paul Donnelly (Sinn Féin)
Dessie Ellis (Sinn Féin)
Thomas Gould (Sinn Féin)
Ann Graves (Sinn Féin)
Johnny Guirke (Sinn Féin)
Martin Kenny (Sinn Féin)
Claire Kerrane (Sinn Féin)
James Lawless (Fianna Fáil)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Féin)
Paul McAuliffe (Fianna Fáil)
Donna McGettigan (Sinn Féin)
Conor D. McGuinness (Sinn Féin)
Denise Mitchell (Sinn Féin)
Johnny Mythen (Sinn Féin)
Natasha Newsome Drennan (Sinn Féin)
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Sinn Féin)
Louis O’Hara (Sinn Féin)
Darren O’Rourke (Sinn Féin)
Christopher O’Sullivan (Fianna Fáil)
Eoin Ó Broin (Sinn Féin)
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Sinn Féin)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Sinn Féin)
Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Sinn Féin)
Maurice Quinlivan (Sinn Féin)
Mark Ward (Sinn Féin)
DEBATE IN CHAMBER
The Bill was subject to heated debate, as pro-life TDs raised concerns about the legislation being “extreme” and removing the last remaining safeguards for the unborn.
Michael Collins, leader of Independent Ireland, said the Bill would widen the grounds for abortion after a baby is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. He warned that abortion is “not something that can be undone,” as he raised the misdiagnosis case involving baby Christopher.
“Currently, the law allows abortion if the baby is not expected to live longer than 28 days after birth,” said the Cork TD.
“This would be changed to allowing abortion if there is a fatal condition affecting the foetus, which is a more broad and general phrase. It is hard for most of us to imagine just what it means for parents who had been happily looking forward to the birth of a new baby to hear that something is seriously wrong.
“Scans and tests can do a lot to diagnose and predict what to expect but they are not crystal balls. It can happen that mistakes are made in diagnosis. Abortion is not something that can be undone, and the couple whose baby boy was aborted in Holles Street after they were wrongly told by doctors that the baby had a life-limiting condition have spoken about the interminable sadness and grief they live with every day.
“How many other unborn babies, like baby Christopher, have lost their lives under Ireland’s new abortion laws following a misdiagnosis? A child’s chance at life, even during a short lifetime after birth, can be incredibly significant for parents to be able to meet their child alive and spend time as a family, maybe even to bring their child home briefly,” he continued.
Deputy Collins said that “even with a correct diagnosis,” medicine “does not have a crystal ball” to be able to say with confidence how long a particular child will live.
“For many babies diagnosed with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18, for example, it is a very short time but sometimes they can have longer and a better quality of life than what they were told to expect.
“Parents in this tragic situation deserve the best of support and care throughout the rest of their pregnancy and their child’s life and death, at whatever point that comes. Irish hospitals have a wealth of experience in palliative care for babies to keep them comfortable. Instead of normalising abortion, we should be making this kind of support available and known to those who need it.”
Deputy Danny Healy-Rae told the debate: “I suppose I have to say I am pro life and I think that when a baby is born, it is the most majestic, natural and beautiful thing in the world. I am lucky that, in my time, Eileen and I have had six children, and now we have eight grandchildren.
“We have to think of the baby in the situation they are in and we have to talk about them. I believe they have a right to live, and to wait three more days to give the mother a chance to reflect on her position is not too long to wait. That is my honest, humble belief.”
Other Independents joined him in taking that position, including Carol Nolan and Mattie McGrath.
`’I will be opposing this Bill not merely on the grounds that I have profound conscientious difficulties and objections with the legislative intent driving it, but also because I sincerely believe that if it was implemented, it would represent an impoverished health policy that would fail to protect women and, of course, the lives of the unborn children that it will impact,” said Nolan.
“As political representatives, we should be prioritising the provision of positive support for women in unplanned pregnancy, including access to practical assistance and counselling, rather than seeking to weaken the existing protections.
“No woman should be rushed into a life-changing decision but I am of the view that all children born and unborn have a fundamental right to life.”
Deputy Mattie McGrath posed a question to the sponsor of the Bill, Holly Cairns TD.
“I, too, am opposing this Bill,” said McGrath. “I recently listened to the leader of the Social Democrats speaking on RTÉ radio about the importance of listening to women’s abortion experiences.
“I want to ask Deputy Cairns this question directly today. Before bringing forward this Bill to abolish the three-day wait and widen the grounds for late-term abortions, did she accept or ignore the request to meet women who deeply regretted their abortions?
“Did she take the time to speak to women who benefited from the three-day reflection period and ultimately chose to keep their babies? These are not unreasonable questions. Pro-life groups and others have asked those questions in recent days and nowhere have I seen Deputy Cairns or anybody from her party answer them.”