Reproductive Rights (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-13
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Aidan Farrelly (SD), Kildare North

I thank the Minister for being here this morning, for her detailed contribution and for meeting the party in advance of this debate. I also commend Deputy Cairns and my friends and colleagues in the party for bringing forward what is, as we have said, the wording from a report commissioned by the Government. This is what we are trying to do.
In my political naivety, I thought the days when we asked women to share personal stories of trauma in order to enact legislative reform were behind us. Notwithstanding many of the meritable contributions in the Minister's speech, we cannot ignore some of the basic limitations to the legislation as it stands. We have spoken about the recommendations and the stance of the WHO on the three-day wait and the 28-day piece, but also the criminal sanction that is faced by practitioners and the fear that creates within that occupation.
I only appeal to the Minister on one issue. Similar things seem to be being said by people on either side of the House. The Social Democrats are asking the Government to work with us on this legislation. She has pretty much said the same thing to us. She is asking the Social Democrats to work with her on this legislation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-13