Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell Attacks on the Church in the aftermath of the abortion referendum are misplaced, a yes-voting senator has said. Speaking in the Seanad last week, Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell said while she had voted to repeal Ireland’s constitutional protections for the unborn, talk of how “we will batter” the Church should cease.
“I was educated and minded by the Catholic Church. My mother is being minded as a resident by Catholic nuns,” she said, adding that she admires the Church and believes it has done “great work and deeds”.
“I am articulate here because of the nuns,” she said, continuing, “interestingly, when I was pregnant and on my own, it was the nuns who took me in and gave me the psychological ability to move on.”
Stressing that she favoured women being able to choose to have abortions, she nonetheless said the Church has made “a distinctive and distinguished” contribution to Ireland.
“We should be quiet about how we will batter it and take it down,” she said.