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SIX PRO-CHOICE TDS have delcared that they intend to vote against the Protection of Life in Pregnancy Bill 2013.
This evenining Clare Daly, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett, Mick Wallace, Joe Higgins and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan said they would all oppose the bill despite their pro-choice views.
They said that in the absence of a referendum to repeal Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution, which places the life of the mother and the unborn on an equal footing, they could not support it.
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan said this article is “unnecessarily retained” in the bill and that it is “perverse” that a doctor must allow a medical condition that is not in itself life-threatening – such as inevitable miscarriage – become potentially lethal before they can perform a termination.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie he said that his main concerns are that the bill does not provide adequate protection for women who are raped or include fatal foetal abnormality.
“I have sisters, I had a mother, I have aunts and I have daughters,” he said. “My priority is their health and if one of my female relative was raped and they felt they needed to purge their body of it, that should be their choice.”
In a statement earlier today, Joe Higgins said he could not support the bill as it “represents a betrayal of women and the memory of Savita Halappanavar whose life would not have been saved with this legislation”.
He said that the bill, as it stands, is more restrictive than the Supreme Court Ruling in 1992.
Regardless of the significance being attached to this legislation by both the government and by the most virulent anti-abortion elements and the Catholic Church the plain reality is that this is not a significant step forward for women.
The Socialist Party TD said the definition of unborn life in the Bill creates the possibility of fresh lines of attack from reactionaries on to right to IVF treatment as well as impeding stem cell research.
He added that the offences section is “barbaric” as a woman who becomes pregnant following a rape and procures an abortion stands to face a sentence of more than twice that for a convicted rapist.
Joan Collins also announced her decision earlier on Twitter:
This evening Richard Boyd Barrett criticised the exclusion of fatal foetal abnormality in the bill, which he said “will force women whose pregnancies will inevitably end in tragedy to go full term or travel overseas for terminations”.
Clare Daly said the bill will make terminations illegal during an inevitable miscarriage while there is still a foetal heartbeat. “If a woman gets an infection in such circumstances, doctors will have to delay a termination until her life is at risk,” she said.
Referring to the suidical ideation clause, Mick Wallace said that the government are putting obstacles in the way of “despairing women”, forcing overseas those who are able to travel, in order to placate the anti-abortionists in their midst and the anti-abortion minority in Irish society.”
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A clear failure in procedure here, not government policy. The inclusion of ministerial criticism in this article is bewildering.
Isn’t the driver suppose to check the carraiges afterwards to make sure stuff like this doesnt happen?
Do Irish rail have emergency buttons or pull cords for those with a disability in case of distress.
So Irish Rail are now responsible for charging your phone?
Best thing is he had 3 hours beside a plug and didn’t use it!
No they are not, but they are responsible for a full and complete search of the carriages when the service of the train terminates for whatever reason.
@RonanM, did you even read the article? It specifically says there were no charge points on this train. Keep trolling.
I remember once when I was locked on a train, most expensive pints I’ve ever had.
I’d kind of have assumed that with the modern fleet they’d be well equipped to handle disabled passengers, ramps, wide doors, emergency call buttons etc. It seems a serious failure of processes to allow this to happen. The poor guy.
Irish rail are a f****n joke for disabled passengers. I dread going anywhere with them God knows where I’ll end up because I can’t guarantee a ramp will be where I actually wana go.
Good old journal.. yesterdays news today. The train driver didn’t bother walking through the train before locking all doors, turning off lights etc from the cabin. simple as that.
“journal.. yesterdays news today.”
Yet here you are.
The trains have auto shutdown….
Yet here i am Chris… this was the most read topic on breakingnews website yesterday. at least the bus drivers check the bus before locking up, in case you know some disabled person cant get off or someone is fast asleep at the back of the bus. All doors are locked from the drivers cabin. when the train engine is shut down – the doors cannot be opened.
Why you do frequent a site that has old news? Seems kinda dumb.
Christ these comments show an appalling attitude towards people with disabilities. There is a huge level of ignorance on display here, which is understandable if you don’t work with people with disabilities. What troubles me is that people still seem to think themselves qualified to criticise Ger. As someone who both knows the man in question and treats people with his condition every day I can assure you that it is nowhere near as simple as some people have suggested.
Climbing down out of Irish trains is not easy for people with impaired mobility. Walking along a flat aisle with seats all round to lean on is not the same as descending a high step, across a gap and onto a platform without rails. Indeed many people without impairments find some Irish platforms troublesome to use (the big curve in the platform in Kent Station in Cork anyone?)
I ask you all please, for the sake of people with disabilities, consider the fact that you have neither sufficient information nor adequate qualifications before deciding if someone “disabled enough” to have a valid complaint. Many of these comments add insult to a complete stranger who has already undergone a humiliating experience, that is simply not ok.
I don’t know why the guy is asking Ministers why it happened. It’s not as if they personally run the train service.
Someone should do a check of the train when it stops for many reasons, security etc. They obviously failed this time and left this chap for 35 minutes. It is a mistake and I’m sure it was traumatic for the guy. Get over it and move one. No doubt a financial settlement will wipe the trauma away in an instant.
I know this man personally as a friend and this is the THIRD time this has happened to him on an Irish Rail train. He “got over it” as you so eloquently put it, twice previously and Irish Rail never responded to his complaints or acted on them if it’s happened a third time.
He’s well entitled to publicly come out about his experience, maybe now Irish Rail will be forced to act to make their fleet accessible for all passengers. Or at the very least introduce new work protocols/practices to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Agree that a new protocol needs to be introduced for many reasons like this for example or security etc.
But to address a Minister directly is, as a previous comment put it bewildering.
@ shane comer well said , the bottom line is nobody gives a damn anymore! just pay your money and put up or shut up. irish rail and others see no reason to look after the customer, customer service means nothing. however, to be a disabled customer your in real trouble! just watch the bus service and how a wheelchair used is treated……many will pull up and just tell them the bus is too packed to take them …even if it isnt!
shane , i am sorry to say we are a long way off making irish rail and others make their fleet accessible for all passengers, the biggest barrier is you are dealing with people that just dont care!
Complete overreaction by all, its not ad if IE set out to do it, nobody is prefect.
There is emergency escapes if he wanted to get out to…
How would he get off the train without the wheelchair ramp???
What a stupid statement. He wasn’t in Lourdes
Using emergency door would open it and people would see.
Anyway the person can walk, so he could of opened and looked out…
Im not defending IE but mistakes happen, blowing it up to the media is attention seeking.
@ronanm you are a knob. A complete one
Very informative Mile….
@ mike – are you taking the p*ss with your profile pic?
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597603899680411648/Jzq1vnKf_400x400.jpg
The same way he got out of his mobility scooter and got to the seating area..
RonanM, instead of giving out about something you clearly have no knowledge on; why don’t you just be thankful that you can avail of rail services without having to inform them in advance and then when you do get to use the train spend your time worrying whether there will be someone at the other end to help you get off!
Ah Ronan m , the man is wheelchair bound did you not even read the article ?
Same thing happened to a friend of mine. They were left on the train also ! All the lights went out and nobody came with the ramp , just by chance a worker passed by and told them up at the station office !!! Excuse was they didn’t radio threw from cork to say a wheelchair was on board !
What do you expect from a bruton
Same thing happened to a friend of mine. They were left on the train also ! All the lights went out and nobody came with the ramp , just by chance a worker passed by and told them up at the station office !!! Excuse was they didn’t radio threw from cork to say a wheelchair was on board !
Irish Rail customer service is appalling. I spent 30 mind yesterday phoning Kent station to get time table eventually had to ring Dublin to get it. It rang out 4 times.
Google?
Google hasn’t been invented for some people yet.
Maybe they could post one out to you?
Jesus Tony. Hope it works out for you. Dreadful experience.
Learn how to work da Google on the Internet machine!
Irish rail worker? Surely that’s a contradiction. I seen the Dublin to cork train leave heuston one day before any passengers had boarded because nobody was at the gate to check them on. The train travelled to cork empty. That actually happened believe it or not.
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