Courtney McGrailLabour Party leader Brendan Howlin has been accused of seeking to provide political cover “to silence services or advocates that do not support abortion as a solution to a crisis pregnancy”. Independent TD Mattie McGrath spoke in response to the publication of the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill brought forward by Mr Howlin which aims to regulate so-called ‘rogue’ crisis pregnancy advice clinics.
Deputy McGrath said that “no one disagrees with the principle that best practice should be observed”, but that “the real agenda of this Bill is to throw legislative protection around organisations like the IFPA which are de facto government supported lobbyists for the Repeal of the Eighth Amendment amongst other things.”