Archbishop Eamon Martin’s attack on abortion is “depressing”, Bríd Smith has said.
The Primate of All Ireland has predicted Ireland will 'eventually come back' and bring back its near total ban on abortion.
He also claimed the number of abortions in Ireland "seems to be spiralling out of control."
Speaking to The Hard Shoulder, People Before Profit’s Bríd Smith said the Irish people had considered the issue of abortion deeply ahead of the 2018 referendum.
“First, he must think, ‘I don’t trust women to make decisions for themselves’ and secondly, he must think, ‘I’ve nothing else to do,’” she said.
“Abortion is a fact of life, it has been and always will be.”
Under the current legislation, a woman can have an abortion in the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy or after that point in what the HSE describes as “exceptional circumstances”.
Such exemptions are granted if the mother’s life or health is at risk or if the foetus is expected to die soon after birth.
Despite this, some women feel the exemptions are not being applied fairly.
“I only dealt yesterday and today with a case of a young mother whose child is not going to survive and she’d been denied access to a termination here,” Deputy Smith said.
“It’s pretty sad and tragic for her, it was a much wanted and much needed baby.”
Reform
In May, Deputy Smith sponsored a bill that would abolish the “insulting” three day waiting period before an abortion can take place and reform the rules governing fatal foetal anomaly.
“We’re a long way off rolling back against repeal,” she said.
“We’re a long way off rolling back against the gains we have made.
“In fact, what I’m going to try and do over the next period is to improve the abortion laws in line with Dr O’Shea’s review to make it better and safer.”
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2023 is currently before Dáil Éireann, Second Stage and will be debated again in the New Year.
You can listen back here:
Main image: People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith on the plinth outside Leinster House, 16-02-2021. Image: Sasko Lazarov/Lazarov
