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ALAN SHATTER HAS said that a referendum needs to be held on the issue of allowing terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest.
The former justice minister made the comments at a Dublin Rathdown constituency meeting this evening, just four hours after voting against Clare Daly’s Bill on the issue.
Earlier, Daly labelled the Taoiseach “a hypocrite” over his stance on the legislation. Enda Kenny said the bill, which was rejected by 104 votes to 20, was unconstitutional.
Speaking tonight, Shatter recalled opposing the inclusion of the so-called “pro-life” amendment in the Constitution in 1983, saying:
“At that time, I predicted some of the possible consequences of its inclusion in our Constitution and, unfortunately, over the years, some of the predictions made by me have been proved right.”
Shatter reiterated comments he made during the debate on the Protection Of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013, saying it is “an enormous cruelty that a woman in this State is compelled to bring to full term a pregnancy where a fatal foetal abnormality has been identified and there is no prospect of a child surviving”.
He also said it is “entirely unacceptable that a woman who is a victim of rape or incest should be compelled to retain a pregnancy resulting from such circumstances”.
Shatter said most of the public agree constitutional change is needed in this regard, adding that he hopes Fine Gael will include a commitment to holding a referendum on the issue in its General Election Manifesto.
Shatter also wants the subject of divorce to be put to the people once again. The 1996 vote allowed for the inclusion in the Constitution of a provision that requires couples to live apart for a minimum of four years before a marriage can be legally dissolved.
He said this time frame “locks estranged spouses into a legal limbo”, “results in thousands being required to involve themselves in two separate sets of court proceedings, one initially for separation and another later for divorce”, and “costs the taxpayer annually millions of euros” through legal aid.
Shatter went on to describe constitutions as “documents of their time” that need to be updated as “society evolves”.
Shatter said that a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming Marriage Equality Referendum should not be taken for granted “despite what is represented currently in opinion polls as being overwhelming support for change”.
In 1986, there was similar overwhelming support for constitutional change to permit divorce at this distance from the date of the referendum but, by the time the votes were cast and counted, the support had evaporated.
He said that legal uncertainty surrounding same-sex partners and their children will remain an issue regardless of the outcome of the referendum in May.
“Unfortunately, these issues are not widely understood by the general public and, at the time when Cabinet decided to hold a Marriage Equality Referendum, I emphasised the importance of our enacting the Children and Family Relationships Bill addressing these important parental issues in advance of the Referendum being held.”
Shatter said he is concerned that if this new legislative framework is “not enacted and in place well in advance of the referendum to be held, it will facilitate those opposed to constitutional change generating controversy and muddying the waters and misleading people into voting ‘No’”.
The Fine Gael TD said he is “greatly concerned” that the Children and Family Relationships Bill has not yet been published for second stage debate in the Dáil as he published the draft legislation a year ago.
He added he was “further concerned” that the provisions contained in the Bill relating to surrogacy have been removed and that a separate Bill dealing with both assisted reproduction and surrogacy is to be published by the Department of Health.
Like a big judo team! Oh well loads of golds to come let’s go
Seeing those chefs is making me hungry!
@Jack Hayes: lol, that’s exactly what I was thinking, thought they were providing the catering to the irish squad.
It’s awful, looks like a mix of a karate uniform and something out of the Salvation Army
I was hoping someone would share my thoughts.
I have not been disappointed.
Terrible.
Its nice to see cookery added as a sport. Kitchens can be dangerous places.
Why does the theme from Love Boat pop into my head?
They look like extras in a psychiatric hospital drama and I’d bet they were made in some sweat shop in the Bronks. They’re almost as hideous as Sinead’s wax head.
A great honour.well done and best of luck to all our team at the Olympics
A hood over the head and they would pass for the Klu klux Klan.
tiresome should have gone with something more traditional, nothing Irish about it. A nice tracksuit or a shirt/chinos combination would have been much better. Opportunity missed.
@Raymond Dennehy: Yes. Sino-Spanish textile and design is … “Traditional” and “Irish”.
I think I missed the part where Ireland had the opportunity, freedom and wealth-luxury to develop their own indigenous fashion over the past Millennium of British Occupation and coerced cultural and linguistic assimilation
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
However. Yes. The “4 leaf clover” and “shamrock” is not only an Americanism, but is very much worn-out Americanism at this stage.
Probably we could have done something like non-tartan or Celtic-design embroidered arisaid plaides (worn entirely differently to that of Scots) with Tara brooches with Olympic, County and/or individual symbolism.
…I see nothing wrong with the whites though. White is the anti-Sectarian “Peacemaking” segment of our National Flag. Thus it is a loud statement for Ceasefire and Peace in Palestine and Ukraine.
@Raymond Dennehy: Shirt and chinos as a missed opportunity haha. On you go down to Galvin for men, get yourself a rigout and leave the fashion to the fashionable!
@Raymond Dennehy: Australia, has gear,,next time get the Australia’s to make one
Top Chef?
Reminds me of a Simpsons episode where Homer was on charge of waste control..
Mad how a pro golfer walking with flag of an amateur comp. Mad really
@Robert Doogan: Lad, professional athletes have been allowed to compete at the Olympics since the 80s, although it’s up to each sports federation to make a final call on that. Do you think Rhasidat Adeleke is an amateur ? Her estimated net worth in 2024 is between 2-5 million dollars. And best of luck to her.. Do you want to go through the entire Irish team in terms of who’s proffesional or not .. or is it just Shane you want to have a pop at ?
@Brian: It probably would have been safer for Adeleke if nobody had ever thrown out a very AmeruKKKan “net worth” figure that absolute imbecilic Irish (read: Eastern European+German+Italian Fascists living in Ireland) Racists will interpret as Liquidity. As actual cash rich. As: “next time we see her round Tallaght, let’s beat the crap out of her and rob her Credit cards”.
@Pink Freud: LOL.. and that’s got what to do with my post exactly? .. I mentioned another Irish athlete to highlight a point about professionalism in the Olympics/Irish team.. You’re the one who’s trying to bring race into this.. I see an Irish woman.. What ever you see or want to project is your problem pal.
@Robert Doogan: Time to come into the real world. Where have you been living
@Brian: @Brian: Chill out, Brian. I think athletes should not get paid. It’s not the same as going to actual work is it? Its just like P.E class back at school, although, on a much bigger scale. It’s hardly like going to a double maths or science class. Nightmare!!
Just seen them on the six o’clock news and they look even worse and more ridiculous on television.
It is the worst I have ever seen. All I can say if that is considered fashion forward I will stay in fashion past or present. Just terrible
Let’s hope Ireland matches their uniform with Medals
Absolutely dreadful, no doubt some well connected individual collected a shedful of loot for these monstrosities!
I see nothing wrong with any component targeted in the comments. I think it’s great that she considered so much around symbolism and ethnic identity. But the Americanisms of “4 leaf clover”/”shamrock” is well worn out many years ago. Perhaps she is too long in USA, or is associating with too many plastic paddies, and is far too influenced by yankee mis-perceptions of “Irishness” and has begun losing touch with core Irish symbolism and long lost historic cultural fashions interrupted by Colonial Occupation?
Frankly. One cannot just walk up to a County Heraldrly and simply re-write it.
Doing so, erases it.
It is tantamount to a “cleansing” of the indigenous identity.
Like re-writing the tricolour by exchanging Orange for Purple, Brown for Green, and Black for White. Then lobbing a Marsupial into the centre of it for no apparent reason.
However. These are details that should be seen up close – and nobody has published them **yet** (wtaf lads!?) – and, yennow, they’re a bit of fun, a bit of leeway and “artistic licence”.
Probably, the only component I really have a beef with is the fact that the patches are….patch-y.
I *do* appreciate the artistic representation of “grasslands of Ireland” through “fringing”.
But…
They seem like an after-thought.
Like a grubby fixer-upper of a multitude of mistakes in stitching or template cutting.
They look like they weigh. Like they are rigid and heavy on the arm and irritatingly in the way of free unencumbered upper limb movement.
Or, they also sort of look like a toddler came along and smacked a dose of giant stickers on everyone and everyone is just going along with it ‘for the toddler’.
Perhaps if the patches had introduced the Green?
A bit more green.
Just enough to be distinctly Irish – from a distance…..on a boat….on the Seine
But let’s ask the Athletes what they think of it.
Because what we think, doesn’t really matter.
The Athletes are the ones wearing them.
Norway
Thought the Olympics was a sport competition, not a fascist contest.
@Ciaran O Donoghue: fashion??
I thought I was watching masterchef
Gosh, golly, gee whillikins and wow.
VERY slow news day!
“Medication time”
Give them a tea towel to put on their heads, and they would pass for the management of an Arabian airline.
They’re approaching Liverpool 1995 FA Cup FInal suit level with those things.
SHAME what a shame, no way Lowry represents the Olympic spirit, he cowarder out of Rio because mosquetoes ! He’s like his english plantation ancestors, an opportunists !
The Mongolian one… What’s the big Deel?
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