Mulherin will not risk being ‘booted out’ of FG

Mayo Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin expressed disappointment with the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill but said she would support it because she did not want to be "booted'' out of the party.

She said she had written to Minister for Health Dr James Reilly setting out her concerns. She had also met him for an hour on Tuesday and met Taoiseach Enda Kenny for almost an hour and a half.

“I am now faced with either supporting the Bill or being booted out of the party, my party,’’ she added. “And I am not going to allow myself to be booted out, so I am supporting this legislation.’’

Ms Mulherin said she felt the legislation could be drafted in a more prescriptive way to give a fair balance between both the legal rights of the mother and the unborn child.

'Very disappointed'
"I am very disappointed that there is very little accommodation of the legitimate concerns expressed by myself and many others, not least in this chamber, in the Government amendments published,'' she added.

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit said the Bill did not provide the medical certainty doctors required to intervene decisively to protect the lives of women like Savita Halappanavar and others whose lives might be endangered by the continuation of a pregnancy. "The Government has made a fudge between its need to assuage dissent from those within its ranks who are opposed to abortion and the legal imperative to vindicate the lives of women. As a result, women's lives have not been vindicated.''

Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party said the health of pregnant women had been downgraded in much of the debate that had taken place. "It is downgraded in particular in the minds and contributions of those who oppose any movement on the right of women to safe terminations of pregnancy where their lives and health are concerned.''

Clare Daly (Ind) said there had been an unbelievable disconnect between the real lives of Irish citizens and the discussion in the Dáil. "The reality is that the Bill and the discussion that has been held over the past while represent little more than substantial grandstanding, posturing and abstract debate which is out of sync with the real lives of citizens in this State.''

Mick Wallace (Ind) said confusion seemed to abound. "So much work has gone into the new legislation, yet we do not even know whether the life of Savita Halappanavar would have been saved had this legislation been in place before her death.''