A Fine Gael TD has given an emotional account of her experience of being given a traumatic diagnosis while pregnant.
Dublin Bay South TD Kate O’Connell spoke of the diagnosis of a "profound defect" received at her 20-week scan.
She said that “against the odds the pregnancy continued to term and I was delivered of a child that had almost the entirety of his organs outside his body”.
She was speaking during a Dáil debate on the Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) Bill.
Her son survived and “is now a fit and healthy five-year-old”, but she said that week they waited for result to tell them if he also had a genetic, and therefore fatal, abnormality was the hardest of their lives.
“Today as we sit here people are receiving a diagnosis to tell them to prepare for a death not a birth and that their misery cannot be relieved in our own country,” she said.
Ms O’Connell said they should “listen to the medical experts and not some self appointed moral police who will look down on the rest of us from their lofty perches, terrorising TDs with their threats of hellfire and eternal damnation in the hope that it will cause political paralysis”.
Ms O’Connell opposed because the Bill because of advice from the Attorney General that it was unconstitutional.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said he hoped the mechanisms would be put in place to bring about constitutional change to the eighth Amendment on abortion but he could not support the Bill because it was unconstitutional.
The Minister said “our present law immeasurably adds to the pain of those who make the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy”.
He apologised for the treatment received by Amanda Mellet who brought a complaint against the State to the UN Human Rights Committee, when her unborn child had Edwards’ syndrome.
The Minister said “the absence of compassion in her treatment by our health service was deeply distressing. I am very sorry that this is how she was treated.”
He said the House could not change the situation in relation to fatal foetal diagnoses. “Only the Irish people can,” and he hoped the citizens’ assembly would give them that opportunity.
Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly, who introduced the Bill, said the Master of the Rotunda maternity hospital said there were 71 cases of fatal foetal abnormality were diagnosed last year. Forty-nine of those couples decided to travel, which was almost one every week.
She said the Bill was not a back door attempt to get access to abortion in all circumstances.
Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace said the Bill’s parameters were narrow.
“We are talking about foetuses which are incompatible with life,’’ he added.
Independent Minister of State John Halligan said it was unacceptable and unthinkable to allow strangers to make personal decisions for a woman. “That is what it comes down to,’’ he added.
It was time to face up to reality. “We cannot continually export problems out of this country,’’ he said.
Mr Halligan said he did not know or care if the Bill was unconstitutional. “I care about the women, tomorrow, next week, the week after that, who have to get on a plane or a ship and go to Liverpool, Manchester or Newcastle and bring the foetus back in a box in the back of a car, which has happened,’’ he added.
Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins said his party’s TDs were free to vote in the way they choose.
In the case of a fatal foetus diagnosis, he believed it was wrong to send a woman and her partner overseas to terminate the pregnancy, he added. He would support the Bill.
Labour TD Alan Kelly it was their duty as democrats to address the human rights concerns on the issue, but his party could not support the Bill in its current format.
The Cabinet has yet to agree a position on a Bill allowing for abortions in the cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.
The Independent Alliance is seeking a free vote or to be allowed abstain in the vote.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is insisting on a collective decision by all Cabinet Ministers.
It is understood there has been no contact between Mr Kenny and the Alliance today.
Mr Kenny has expressed a strong preference that all members of Cabinet, including Minister for Transport Shane Ross and Minister of State at the Department of Health Finian McGrath, vote collectively on Mr Wallace's Bill.
Mr Ross and Mr McGrath, both members of the Independent Alliance, have expressed a strong desire to have a free vote on the Bill. Minister of State at the Department of Jobs John Halligan is also seeking to abstain or vote in favour of the Bill.
Mr Wallace’s Bill would allow for abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. Under it, two suitably qualified medical professionals – a perinatologist and an obstetrician – would be asked to certify, in good faith, if the foetus was incompatible with life.
