John O’Mahony TD with Cora Staunton in happier times.
Fine Gael TDs John O’Mahony and Anthony Lawlor and Senator Michael Mullins were said to have been “emotional”, with Mr O’Mahony having to leave the room to compose himself, but saying he wanted to engage on the legislation.
Heavens.
Any excuse.
Pic: Michael Donnelly
A letter from eleven consultants to the Irish Times today questions Dr Peter Boylan’s opinion at the inquest of Savita Halappanavar.
It repeats the line about the best maternal health care in the world also used by Enda Kenny at this morning’s protection of pregnancy press conference.
Sara Burke has long been championing the real statistics (see below) of maternal healthcare in Ireland.
In reality, we’re average.
Previously: Dr Peter Boylan and Breda O’Brien: The Transcript
Savita Halappanavar inquest (Letters, Irish Times)
Not the ‘best in the world’ (Sara Burke, Medical Independent)
“My agenda is the protection of the lives of women and equal respect for the unborn,” he said. “I take grave exception to people extrapolating from my wish to see women get the best care available to attempt to brand me as something that I’m not, which is pro-abortion.
“I’m as much ’pro-life’ as any obstetrician in this country, but I do recognise there are times when terminations of pregnancy need to be done.”
He praised the Government’s legislation as “very good” and would give the clarity needed.
“We need legislation in order to be able to our job. All this does is meet the requirements set out by the Supreme Court and by the European Court of Human Rights. It is no less or no more than that.
“I’m an obstetrician, not a psychiatrist, but I’m puzzled by what is meant about caring for a woman who is suicidal. I would be grateful if the people who are talking about it should clarify exactly what they mean and how far they are willing to go.
“No legislation on this issue will please everybody. That’s just in the nature of the issue. It’s the same all over the world. There is nothing unique about Ireland in that regard.”
Dr Peter Boylan also spoke on today’s ‘Morning Ireland’.
Listen here.
Letter ‘an attack on my professional opinion’, says obstetrician (Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times)
Earlier: Toxic Culture
Martin McGuinness mixed up the IRA with the IFA (Irish Football Association) in the Northern Ireland Assembly today.
Answering a question about efforts to combat sectarianism in football.
Watch here.
Restaurants Association of Ireland spokesman Neven Maguire championing the benefits of keeping that 9% VAT rate.
The #KeepVat9 campaign is being launched this morning.
RAI Chief Executive, Adrian Cummins sez:
“VAT at 9% has had a positive effect on all aspects of the restaurant sector specifically, but also the wider tourist industry generally. This is why the RAI fervently believes it would be foolhardy to get rid of it. Reducing VAT to this level is a real success story so the RAI is sending a clear message to Government saying Keep VAT at 9%”
YOU decide.
Or ‘trendy’ bottled water (as is often the case on these occasions).
To coincide with the EU conference on Gender Equality taking place in Dublin Castle today.
Therese Caherty writes:
Action on X will be at the City Hall Plaza from 6pm to demand that the government legislates to ensure women get equal medical treatment to men: the right to any treatment needed to protect their lives. Speakers include Clare Daly TD; Ailbhe Smyth, Action on X; Rachel Doyle, National Women’s Council of Ireland; Maire Mulcahy, ICTU Women’s Committee; Rhonda Donaghy of SIPTU; Peadar O’Grady of Doctors for Choice and others from AkiDwA, Terminations for Medical Reasons and Abortion Rights Campaign.
Thanks Niamh Puirseil
Less than 24 hours after his controversial remarks on ‘Late Debate’, Fine Gael TD Peter Mathews spoke to RTE’s Fergal Keane on Friday’s ‘Drivetime’.
Here’s what he had to say on the Fine Gael party meeting during the week:
Listen here (scroll to 45:00)
Peter Mathews: “I wouldn’t call it a stormy affair, Fergal. It was a concentrated affair where people were anxious that the full expression of the individual members of the party would be available for all to hear at some stage. So it was concentrated.”
Fergal Keane: “You’re reported as having words with the Taoiseach on the issue.”
Mathews: “No. I asked the Taoiseach a question at the invitation of the chairman. I just wanted to know if there would be a party whip, if there was legislation brought forward because I don’t believe that legislation is actually necessary. Em..and the answer to that is and I’m just short circuiting it a little bit was that there would be a party whip. That he didn’t want the division that occurred in the past. Now I wasn’t a member of the party until a month before the elections. But seemingly in the distant past there were times when ah party when when em party whip wasn’t imposed and sort of divisions occurred within the party in terms of ah lobbyists and others targeted members of the party to try and exert pressure or whatever on them. But you know after I heard there was going to be a party whip that unity of expression by the party will be required. I just said “Well it’s clear to me that you know your mind and I know my mind.”
Keane: “And you’re against legislating for suicidal intent as being a reason for abortion?”
Mathews: “Fergal, it’s very simple. As John Bruton said in a letter actually, the constitution is very clear and it’s in plain English. The Supreme Court were shoehorned into dealing with a specific case which by the way and in the strictest terms of logic will never occur again. So when I hear the phrase ‘legislating for the X case’, actually it’s irrelevant, it’s illogical and doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. You can’t legislate for something that was a once-off event and is never going to happen again. As regards suicide, we now know from modern em professional expression that it is,does not, that that suicide intent is not addressed properly by allowing an abortion. We know that.”
Keane: “If this legislation includes suicide as grounds for abortion, will you in conscience vote against it?”
Mathews: “The likelihood is yes. I’m not going to say definitely because if, if ah legislation comes forward and I don’t think it’s necessary. I think that the expression by the Supreme Court judges which by the way was a majority decision. Each of those judges answers their conscience in respect of the constitution and the case at hand that they have to give ah ah judgement on.”
Keane: “You can see yourself as voting against this in a question of conscience, if it comes to that?”
Mathews: “I have to answer my conscience. I have to do what’s right. And by the way, in the United States, in France. People haven’t even mentioned France. In 1975 ah, you know very strict legislation was introduced for the first time on the grounds for lawful abortions. Today in France, a ch..a girl who isn’t even at the age of consent without the knowledge of her parents can go to a GP and have an abortion. That’s how legislation gets amended. Unfortunately, every sort of legislation, history shows, legislation gets amended.”
Fergal Keane to Marie Wilson: “And Peter Mathews when he was speaking to me did make the point, people who are suicidal intent need treatment for the suicidal intent rather than an abortion.”
Pics: (TV3)
Previously: “If She Can’t Do It Maybe She Should Decide To Retire.”
Iona Institute’s Breda O’Brien (above).
She’s no fundamentalist.
“Christians and other believers are often derided for believing in a God or gods on faith alone.
However, thoughtful believers say they make a leap of faith based on a reasonable, though not definitive, level of proof. They don’t endorse blind faith or dogma that flies in the face of evidence, a stance they consider to be fideism, not faith. Those who operate on faith alone are what most of us call fundamentalists.
Scientists and rationalists pride themselves on avoiding faith-based dogma by strenuously adhering only to empirical evidence.
Yet we have the extraordinary situation where people who believe that abortion should be available in Ireland are ignoring the best available scientific evidence, in favour of a faith-based dogma that abortion is somehow good for women when they are in crisis.”
Previously: Dr Peter Boylan and Breda O’Brien: The Transcript
Pic: (ABCandX / YouTube)
