Chai Brady
Carol Nolan TD The Government’s continued commitment to introduce ‘safe access zones’ around abortion clinics has been described as “farcical” by a Laois-Offaly TD.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Carol Nolan TD accused the Minister for Health of being “openly terrified of the pro-choice lobby” over the issue.
Minister Stephen Donnelly said he was “fully committed” to introducing legislation on safe access zones around healthcare facilities over the weekend, adding: “This commitment is in the programme for Government.” This comes after reports the legislation had been shelved, provoking a strong response from pro-choice groups and the media.
Satisfied
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told previous Health Minister Simon Harris in late 2019 that he was satisfied that existing public order legislation could “adequately deal with any reasonable public order incident that may arise at such centres”.
The commissioner added: “I re-confirm my views expressed at our recent meeting that protests to date at such centres have not contravened the law and are peaceful.”
Ms Nolan said: “The Government position on exclusion zones would be farcical if it were not so serious. It represents the triumph of political pandering over respect for constitutional and civic values and it needs to be abandoned once and for all.
“He needs to stand up for the core values of free speech, recognise the peacefulness of pro-life supporters and stop insisting that he will introduce blatantly discriminatory laws to appease an aggressive and misleading campaign that falsely caricatures pro-life vigils without evidence or substantive reasons.”
Responding to the Minister for Health’s statement, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, Eilís Mulroy said: “The Government should never have committed to bringing forward such legislation in the first instance. If enacted, it would represent a gross infringement of civil liberties and freedom of expression.
Peaceful
She said that “pro-life volunteers are extremely peaceful and respectful whenever they assemble in public. To introduce a law that specifically singles out and targets pro-lifers would be a totally unjust and discriminatory move”.
“The focus of this review should not be about trying to create wider access to abortion but rather on finding ways to reduce the spiralling abortion rate and putting supports in place to provide positive alternatives to abortion,” Ms Mulroy added.