Let us take Senator Keogan's amendment, which provides that: The indoor area of a building within the safe access zone, other than a building described in subsection (1)(a) or (b) , is not considered to be part of the safe access zone for the purposes of this Act. I want to make it clear that in seconding this amendment I am not in any way saying that were it to be accepted, everything would be all right. This point came up between Senator Pauline O'Reilly and I the last day. Sometimes amendments are proposed to tr…

-----in a way that no legislation that has ever come before these House has attempted to do to my knowledge. We are not talking about somebody who would shout: "Fire" in a theatre. There are situations where we have to curtail free speech where somebody is immediately put in danger but the idea that two people cannot have a conversation about abortion within 100 m of where an abortion is taking place lest they be under the definition of this Bill is wrong. Let us be clear about this. I am not exaggerating the posit…

To be clear, if the amendment were to be accepted, it would just be the beginning of an attempt to address the radical intolerance that is at the heart of this Bill and which features in several places in the wording of it. This radical intolerance should shock any true democrat.

I second the amendment.

A brief reference was made to filibustering earlier. I want to make sure everybody knows that from my own point of view and, I suspect, from Senator Keogan's point of view, there is no desire or any point in trying to filibuster this Bill. This Bill will pass today because people do not really care about the content. They just want to make the point. I am only interested in addressing anything I hear that is false or perverse in the arguments being made for the Bill and in explaining the reasons for the amendments …

The idea such a prohibition on free concerned exchange between good people shows, as I have said, the recklessness and intolerance underlying this legislation. I am not sure it was deliberately intended but there is such a broad sweep underlying this legislation that there is not any interest in considering whether there could be unforeseen or unintended consequences, such is the visceral nature of the proposal here. Let us be clear, counselling of a kind that is intended to assist a person and which is consensual …

We have all received it. We have all been at the receiving end of the nastiness and Sinn Féin especially has lessons to learn about how social media should be used in ways that are respectful of others. I say that on the floor of the House and put it on record without fear of contradiction by the majority in this House. It is easy to take the worst-----

It is easy-----

-----to take the worst elements of our society-----

It is easy to take the behaviour------

It is easy to take the behaviour of the worst elements of our society and to try to bolt them onto the cause one most dislikes and use that to attract odium towards that cause. It does not need to be said by any of us here that we do and should deplore any ad hominem argument. Before I informed colleagues today that I thought this legislation flirts with fascism and the action it supports flirts with fascism, I was very careful to say that there was nothing ad hominem in what I am saying. I attack and I attempt to …

I will go black with black with Senator Seery Kearney on any pot or kettle. The Senator will find that I am always open to hearing the other point of view. I hope the same privilege will be extended to me.

Vótáil.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “(3) Nothing in subsections (1) or (2) of this section applies to anything done in the course of an individual engaging in personal prayer, a prayer vigil, or any other expression of faith, as per the free practice of religion guaranteed under Bunreacht na hÉireann.”.

Vótáil.

I second the amendment.

This amendment brings out an issue that highlights yet again the at-best sloppy and at-worst malicious nature of the sheer scope, width, breadth and reach of the draconian measures set out in this Bill. With regard to the right to assemble — it is a constitutional right — and then to go in company with others of like mind to make a political point or several and seek to influence those who govern us and legislate for us, most people instinctively know that the curtailment of any such right should take place only in…

I second the amendment.

Having said that this legislation in many ways flirts with fascism I found myself thinking, as I listened to Senator Keogan, that there is something of the radical Marxist revolutionary about it as well, to the extent that such is the zeal of the radical proponents of this Bill to place people under fear of prosecution they have no problem burning some of their own as well in an effort to root out all opposition. They are quite happy that the legislation would potentially subject those who would wish to express sup…

Vótáil.