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IN OUR SURVEY of Oireachtas members on the 8th Amendment, 18 Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators responded.
Of this, ten said they are not in favour of repealing the amendment, which gives equal importance to the right of the unborn to that of the mother.
The other eight were unable to give a Yes or No answer, citing the complexity of the issue.
Some 15 people, including party leader Micheál Martin, did not respond.
Deputies Barry Cowen, Timmy Dooley, Michael McGrath, Robert Troy, health spokesperson Billy Kelleher, and Senator Mary White, the party’s sole female representative in the Oireachtas, sent an identical response to TheJournal.ie. It read:
I do not believe there is a simple yes or no to this sensitive and complex question. The people will want to know what is going to replace the 8th Amendment – whether this would be an added article to the constitution or whether it would be legislation alone. A straightforward deletion would mean the people would never be consulted again on this issue and it would be the prerogative of the legislature.
White added that the issue should not be ”party political”.
Senator Denis O’Donovan said, as Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad, he isn’t taking a position on the topic.
The recently-elected Carlow-Kilkenny TD Bobby Aylward said he wasn’t going to comment on the issue at the moment as he was only recently elected.
At Fianna Fáil’s Ard Fheis in April (where about 3,000 people attended), just 30-40 members were present for a vote on the issue. The majority voted to maintain the party’s position of not repealing the 8th Amendment.
At the time, some delegates complained that motions including this one were delayed and voted on well after the surrounding debate, and by a very small percentage of the party’s members. The vote is not binding.
Senator Thomas Byrne, who is not in favour of repealing the amendment, has taken to Twitter to share his thoughts on the issue:
The 8th Amendment, Article 40.3.3, was added to the Constitution following a referendum on 7 September 1983.
It reads: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”
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A very poor performer in Government, – Minister for Children- , did nothing , became Justice Minister because Shatter was forced out, was then forced out Herself. I think She would be particularly weak.
@Eugene Comaskey: poor is not the word. Absolutely useless, not a clue what her duties were to the people of Ireland. Defended and covered up for her party nothing else. Keep her in Brussels and make sure she’s isolated for 14 days if she does come back.
@Matt Humphries: Mary Harney will be running next…
@Eugene Comaskey: I agree completely.
I couldn’t imagine her accomplishing anything, ever, in any circumstance.
@Eugene Comaskey: waste time her UNPROFESSIONAL in minister of children and could be same she fiddy in eu trade commissioner
@Eugene Comaskey: totally agree! Sergeant Mc Cabe would agree too I’m sure
@Eugene Comaskey: It just shows the arrogance of these people in all fairness..Frances Fitzgerald would run a Childs birthday party successfully never mind a European Commission….Christ give us all strength .
@James Hayes: wouldn’t say Mary Harney ran anywhere.
@Eugene Comaskey: Agree with your opening comment and would like to add that SiCo’s performance in govt to date has also been underwhelming to put it mildly, he did a disappearing act when Minister for Housing and has allowed the Vulture Culture to thrive while homelessness gets worse. Golfgate which needs further investigation was an eye opener to Irish society, some of the guests of well known political figures are major players in the housing industry who benefited from the recent legislation with regard to hearsay evidence.
@Brian Flavin: All this here just goes to show that they do not Really care who actually gets the job, – they have the incorrect criteria , it is about fixing up Someone in a “Well Paid Job” , that is their concern.. Of any, Mairead McGuinness is probably the best placed,She has been out there for years, She is very well known there and they respect her. but , Is She well enough in with the powere that be here at home??.
If she gets it before Máiréad McGuinness, I’ll just shake my head in disbelief.
@Patrick J. Keating: agreed.
@Patrick J. Keating: I wouldn’t be a fan of either of them but of the two I’d sooner see Mairéad McGuinness get it, I think she’d be better able for the job.
@Patrick J. Keating: Agreed
Maurice McCabe would definitely do a better job than Frances.
Of course she’s interested, more like the money. She was a so called Councillor in Clondalkin and the only time you heard anything or seen her was when there was a local Election, she’s as arrogant as Phil Hogan.
Oh the crooked cabal is still functioning just perfect..
Jeez, talk about scrapping the very bottom of the barrel, a f1lthy d1rty barrel that hasn’t been used in years, covered in maggots and f1lth
@Eddie O’Neill: not scrapping. Scraping!
I would prefer Stevie Wonder to drive me home , rather than give her the commissioner role .
@Kevin Daly: Some people say that Stevie is not blind at all. Just an act.
@Kevin Daly:brilliant
@Willie: You might be on to something there Willie, I remember the words in one of his songs ” lately I,ve been staring in the mirror”.
She specialised in setting up committees, steering groups, focus task forces and whatever you’re having yourself. Hopeless performer in Dáil Éireann.
@Mickety Dee: nah, the same failed public servants keep coming back to the table time and time again. This yoke failed miserably in the McCabe debacle. Watch Jerry Buttimer pop his head up again next year when he has laid low for a while. The useless never go away once they’ve had their nose in the troughs
@Mark: they treat politics like a business a family business at that. But then again Muppets keep voting them in
She’s gone way by her sell by date
didn’t Europe ask for a male &a female? who said anything about bovine?
@Dean Anderson: Nice bit of misogyny lad, you must be very proud of yourself?
Please god no!
Seriously couldn’t make this up. As if Ireland isn’t already a laughing stock around the world thus us the best we can come up with.
And I was worried Joan Burton could get the job
If the EU even consider her than Ireland’s future is doomed.
Another day. .another pension opportunity
Might apply for that gravy train job myself.
Mmm Bisto
Come back Hogan, all is forgiven
The decoy.
@l:
Bingo
She should be in jail
@Sean Reddin: On what grounds pray tell?
@James Walsh: Being a member of a corrupt, lying torag of a party. I could go on but I hope you get my jist.
She should be locked up
No thanks
How sickening would that be! It would be like the EU giving us the too fingers!
@Colette Kearns: It’s the Irish govt who propose the candidates not the Commission itself. We are part of the EU btw, it’s not them and us.
She is a disgrace ot politics over how she treated Maurice McCabe.
She’s close pals with Leo I believe?
‘Dustin the turkey’ would be a better candidate than spoofer Harris’s mentor.
We must take our role in Europe seriously, We must look further then our own borders and help our friends in Europe build a stable, safe and inclusive Europe. Not for ourselves but that future generations can enjoy the same European dream we all grew up with. Standing together as independent nations that can weather storms from America, Russia and china.
Oh FFS. The usual Merry Go Round of Political Elite.
If Francis Fitzgerald gets it I can only imagen the Headlines..A minister who resigned replaces Commissioner who has resigned twice…F.G.stated the Brits would be laughing in Westminster..They will be F..king Hysterical when they hear this.
Just do a Eurovision on it and send dustin the turkey.
Unfortunately missed out o this, Frances. Couldn’t find your email……
No way
Oh jesus no
Ah give it a rest….
@James Hayes: as in go back to that hole you crawled out of Francis, I’d rather see my ex wife doing it…
Mairead McGuinness is a much better candidate for the role.
It wouldn’t surprise me if “Big Phil” had the neck to apply for the covid payment, after all he did lose his job because of Covid.
The bigger failure u r the more u get rewarded in Brussels. What does that tell ya??
@Damian Mac An Bháird: She hasn’t been appointed to anything yet, just put her name forward. She shouldn’t get thejob as Mairead McGuinness is a much better candidate. It was the electors of Dublin who put her in the EP though, take it up with them.
@James Walsh: ah hows it goin james me auld fg bot
@Damian Mac An Bháird: Tells you a vote for FFG is a vote for more corruption..
God FG don’t have many people with credibility in thier party these days. Lots of poor politicians & bullies like Leo, Simon & Murphy, ODoherty & Hogan. Then you have Farrell, Bailey and as for Frances – neck like jockeys ….
Von der Leyen asked Ireland to propose two names, a man and a woman. Now just suppose that the Ireland’s government want Coveney to be Hogan’s replacement. What better way to achieve it than by nominating Coveney and Fitzgerald?
Just supposing…
@Lesidees: she’d still pick the female candidate
Ah really ? Clear from the start of this debacle that either Simon or Leo are looking at it .
I had contacted a TD about Garda harassment and he was about to bring a Parliamentary Question in Government Buildings. We were very disappointed when Frances Fitzgerald disallowed it to happen. She was Minister for Justice was aware about our case. The Gardai called to our home before this happened and tendered an apology for the Garda harassment. Why did she disallow the Question? The TD did nothing else about our case.
Hard pass
So many people commenting here don’t know that Frances is a sitting MEP.
@Frank Carty: She has a stature similar to Michael Lowry.
@Cookie: The people of Dublin elected her none the less.
Going by the excellent performance of both Simon Coveney and Máraid McGuinness in Brexit discussions and politics I feel either candidate would do a good honest job in looking after our interests within the European Community.
Frances Fitzgerald are Her Missing emails tusla.ie Disband Tusla Now! Tusla Bosses email to Staff/Social Workers ahead of the Maurice McCabe Report “We Can Weather this Frances Fitzgerald Storm . McCabe Family are the Tip of Tusla iceberg in Secret False Tusla Data Reports Files McCabe Caught Out Tusla Thru FOI Request They had Falsified Reports on Tusla Secret Files He Raped Two Children
McGuinness & Coveney decent candidates of merit. Fitzgerald a very poor candidate , Co. Council height of her lack of talent
Frances F got shafted by the boys – typical carry on from FG and FF particularly with Leo V
@Woman On the Up: I think you will find it was an honest cop that was the one who got shafted…
Not the one with the ministerial pension along with the MEP money .
have your say