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. In fact, it was on the basis of information released to me through numerous parliamentary questions that we can confirm that the three-day waiting period prior to having an abortion has played a critical and life-saving role in the lives of thousands. In fact, over the five-year period since the law was introduced, 10,426 women did not return for a second appointment after the three-day waiting period. This was between 17% and 18% of women. I have to be clear. From where I stand, any attempt to eliminate the three-day reflection period can now be seen for what it is - a morally reckless extension of an abortion ideology that many people find deeply troubling. Why the clamour for more and more abortion? Why the rush to annihilate all protections in the law for the baby in the womb? The Irish people did not give us a blank cheque to go on eliminating all protections for the unborn child until no such protections exist at all. To claim that they did is fundamentally flawed. 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.

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