Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed)
Dail Éireann — 2023-07-11
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Bernard Durkan (FG), Kildare North

I speak on this legislation for different reasons. My views do not coincide with the views of many of the other speakers we have just heard, but for a different reason.
I believe if the State passes legislation giving effect to any service for anything, in any way, shape or form, the public have a right to access that service by right, not at the behest of somebody who wants to protest and not because somebody wants to exercise their right to protest. I strongly object to the notion that freedom of expression carries everything with it and gives everybody a right to do what they want to do because it is a liberal ethos. It is not.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-07-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:52:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-07-11