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RICHARD BOYD BARRETT has said the bravery of other families in talking about their experiences of fatal foetal abnormality made him talk publicly about his own personal tragedy.
The People Before Profit TD revealed in the Dáil in February that he had to bury his daughter Ella, who had a fatal foetal abnormality, Trisomy 13.
In a speech on Clare Daly’s private members’ bill, Boyd Barrett spoke of how his daughter would have been 13 this year. He said she was a child “we desperately wanted” but who was a victim “of the cruelty of nature”.
In an interview with TheJournal.ie this week, Boyd Barrett said he had only decided to speak about it on the way into Leinster House that morning after discussing it with his ex-partner.
I felt if they had the bravery to speak out about their personal circumstances and histories and tragedies that I should, as a public representative, I had a certain obligation to do it in those circumstances.
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Fianna Fail / Sinn Fein and Fine Gael all reluctant to legislate for this. Only PBP and AAA pushing this issue. Socialist party more so many years back
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