Renata Steffens
Young people marching for life on Monday. “It is deeply ironic that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who are normally knocking lumps out of Sinn Féin, joined them in their quest to end the lives of even more little babies,” said Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly following the Dáil’s vote in favour of abolishing the mandatory three-day reflection period for women seeking abortion. 86 TDs voted in favour of removing the rule, while 70 voted to keep the three-day wait.
Senator O’Reilly said, “This is yet another massive breach of trust by our so-called Government.” Agreeing with the Senator, Independent TD Mattie McGrath has condemned the decision of the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris to support Sinn Féin’s Bill.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have abandoned the promises they made to the Irish people. They have abandoned the assurances they gave to secure a ‘Yes’ vote. And they have abandoned the unborn child, the most vulnerable human being in our society,” Deputy McGrath said.
He said it is “a shameful betrayal of voters, a cynical political flipflop, and a reckless abandonment of even the most basic protections for unborn human life.”
Aontú’s Cllr Ellen Troy told The Irish Catholic, “I’m really annoyed, particularly, about the people who say that they’re Christian, but still vote for people who think it’s okay to get rid of this three-day wait… It’s like as if they don’t want babies born.”
Speaking prior to the Bill passing, Senator O’Reilly said, “There is no mention whatsoever in supporting women who choose not to go ahead with abortion. No mention of trying to provide real alternatives to abortion and no mention of supporting and helping women who are so often traumatised and scarred for life by the experience.”
Agreeing with Senator O’Reilly, the Councillor believes that women don’t decide to have an abortion for no reason, but because they feel they don’t have another alternative. “There are people working night and day, and they still don’t have enough to feed their children. They’re counting every penny,” she said.
“When people voted for Repeal in 2018, one of the assurances they were given was that the 3-day reflection period would provide a real ‘safety net’, a safeguard, and we know for a fact that it has, with 10,426 women not attending their second appointment for an abortion over the five-year period from 2019 to 2024,” Senator O’Reilly added.
Having been approved in the Dáil, the bill will now go before an Oireachtas committee for further scrutiny and could become law by the end of the year.