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Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Paul Bradford: "There are no such babies as babies with fatal foetal abnormalities"

The Senator said that there are babies with “life-limiting conditions”.

SENATOR PAUL BRADFORD has said today that he believes there are no babies with fatal foetal abnormalities.

He was speaking in the Seanad about yesterday’s ruling in a Belfast court that abortion should be made available in cases of rape and fatal foetal abnormality (FFA).

The Renua Ireland Senator said during Order of Business that he wanted to mention language, describing it as “a very strong weapon”.

“When we speak this easy phrase, ‘fatal foetal abnormalities’, we are talking about babies who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition,” said Bradford. “They are human beings.”

He said that “at least one grouping representing parents who had such babies who might have lived for a day, a week or a month, attempted to make their views known to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children two years ago and were not allowed do so”.

We need to be sensitive. There are no such babies as babies with fatal foetal abnormalities. There are babies with serious, profound life-threatening and life-limiting conditions but they are still human beings.

He said he concurred with statements made by Senator Rónán Mullen today in relation to comments on the abortion legislation proposals from Northern Ireland.

Mullen said: “What we are seeing here is the corruption of law, the corruption of the human rights community deciding that some vulnerable human beings are outside the pale for human protection”.

Abortion laws

Yesterday, the Belfast High Court ruled that abortion laws in Northern Ireland breach human rights law.

Mr Justice Horner said women who are the victims of sexual crime and whose baby has a fatal foetal abnormality are entitled to exemptions in the law.

He found that abortion legislation in Northern Ireland breached Article 8 of the European Convention on human rights by failing to provide an exception to the prohibition on abortion in cases of:

  • A fatal foetal abnormality (at any time during the pregnancy);
  • Where the pregnancy is the result of sexual crime (up to the date when the foetus is capable of existing independently of the mother).

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) called it a ‘landmark ruling’. It was also welcomed by the Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR) group, who called on legislators in the Republic to “carefully consider the judgement”.

However, Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign said the ruling was “deeply hurtful to families of babies diagnosed with life-shortening conditions”.

- Additional reporting Hugh O’Connell

Read: Belfast court rules abortion should be available in cases of rape and fatal foetal abnormality>

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312 Comments
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    Mute Johnny Wilson
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:07 PM

    Won’t be long before the anti vax lot crawl out of their rabbit holes

    108
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    Mute Anthony Curran
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:19 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: They’re too busy being anti immigrant these days

    110
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    Mute Seosamh Ohuaine
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:53 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: Whats the big deal with measles. Sure we all got it in the 80s and were then immune for life.

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    Mute Jason Poole
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:54 PM

    @Anthony Curran: Comment of the year

    13
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:13 PM

    @Anthony Curran: like most viruses the do tend to spread without a prevention.

    3
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:16 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: Wow, if we had a vaccine for your obvious lack of knowledge….can’t use the word I wanted

    34
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    Mute Trevor Donoghue
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:16 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: Yes, because it was much safer to get it as a child and gives you immunity, catching it as an adult is far more dangerous.

    24
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    Mute Éamonn O'Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:44 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: it also killls and can lead to long term disability.

    37
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:57 PM

    @Éamonn O’Kane: Correct,

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    Mute offside again
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:48 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: apropos de rien : all good things come to an end. The world will keep spinning around. So will the galaxy. The Universe will find conciousness somewhere.
    You know that we die in the end !
    (sorry to ruin the film).
    It’s eternal life we’re looking for and indeed such a thing is possible if you’re spiritually inclined.
    In anycase ; there’s such a wide range of possibilties that I don’t understand how anyone can be an athiest.

    1
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    Mute Pat Redmond
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 1:09 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: and children born blind as a result. Special schools for the blind no longer exist thanks to the vaccination

    1
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    Mute Frank Foley
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:01 PM

    The 5pm train to Sligo from Dublin is always very busy ,not enough carriages and it’s impossible to get a seat until you get to Mullingar.

    21
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:03 PM

    And what about the train from Sligo to Dublin?

    3
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    Mute AphroBeat
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:39 PM

    Time to lockdown again, zero measles! Let’s flatten the curve

    22
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    Mute Donna Fallon
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:28 PM

    @AphroBeat: Everything on this forum is so negative. Let’s flatten the curve… X amounts of deaths today from (not with apparently). I for one know people who died as a result of the lockdowns and literally nothing to do with a virus.

    11
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    Mute AphroBeat
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:16 PM

    @Donna Fallon: It was certainly a terrible time for many, Donna, my sincere condolences. Sadly, I knew people who took their own lives who struggled with loneliness. I, too, found it challenging being myself, but I found resilience from past traumatic experiences. Thankfully, many are vaccinated for MMR here, so it may not warrant a lockdown.

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    Mute Donna Fallon
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 1:00 AM

    @AphroBeat: Thanks Man and sorry to hear you too had a tough time x I genuinely thought that you were being sarcastic in your initial comment… hope you are well now x

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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:18 PM

    Anyone who was on the train was also possibly exposed to the flu,covid,chicken pox,vomiting bug,farts,burps,general body odour etc. etc. Welcome to life.Stay home for the rest of your life If it upsets you.
    This is not news.
    Either you’ve been vaccinated against it and you’re fine because unlike the covid injections the measles one is actually a proper vaccine that makes you immune.Or you haven’t been vaccinated so you don’t care in the first place.So again,this is not news.

    26
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:59 PM

    @Johnny King: So are vaccines good or bad?

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    Mute Luas Vuitton - Penneys Drag Queen
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:01 PM

    @Johnny King: Disability payment late again? Measles, like Covid-19, is a notifiable infectious disease under the Health Acts and MOH legislation. Both have effective clinical responses. Your comments on vaccines insults the memory of C19 bereavement. If it had been available, some who be still with us.

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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:14 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: almost all of them are amazing,life savers.The covid one technically doesn’t even qualify as a vaccine.Doesn’t make you immune,doesn’t stop you spreading it,At best they say it can very slightly help your recovery chances when you get covid.I would argue that this slight help they say it gives your immune system was offset ten fold by the false sense of security people thought they had after being told they wouldn’t get covid after getting the jabs,and so went about their business falsely believing that the covid jab was like a regular,effective vaccine that makes you immune

    7
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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:28 PM

    @Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: I’ve had one m.m.r. vaccine and I have never had measles as a result.I have had 3 covid injections and I’ve had covid 4 times that I’m aware of.Probably have had it ten more times than I’m unaware of since more than 95% of people that get it don’t have any symptoms whatsoever.This was proven by the mass testing that was done in China.If we had done mass testing here we would have realised this.
    So the point is I got the MMR vaccine.That PREVENTS you from getting measles,mumps and Rubella.I have had THREE Covid so called vaccines and have had covid probably between 10 and 15 times.Can you understand the difference there? One works.The other doesn’t.

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    Mute Richie Whelan
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:25 PM

    We all got measels as kids ,how is it so dangerous all of a sudden

    10
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    Mute John Doe
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 11:39 PM

    @Richie Whelan: PARENTS NOT VACCINATING THEIR KIDS! How do ye not understand this yet?!

    14
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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:01 PM

    @John Doe: but but..let them decide themselves!
    No damn parents anymore they are all wannabe social workers now.

    I wanna run in trafffic
    Ok honey I am empowering you to make a good choice.
    Death

    1
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    Mute Dave Grant
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:59 PM

    No one is safe until everyone is safe.

    9
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    Mute Seanfhear míshásta
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:52 PM

    an American?

    6
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    Mute bruce banner
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 10:20 PM

    Hope the EU hurries up and suspends travel of americans into europe. Keeps us all more healthy physically and mentally.

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    Mute Luas Vuitton - Penneys Drag Queen
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:57 PM

    Great to see Iarnród Eireann improving the quality of catering on the Sligo train, finally.

    5
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    Mute Ian Heaton
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:44 PM

    Need to start doing some spot checks.

    5
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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:03 PM

    @Ian Heaton:its the mumps next
    Probably the foreigners kissing

    1
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    Mute Sickof thisshit
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:13 PM

    Ah here..
    That’s ridiculous…

    9
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    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:21 PM

    Punam Rane was completely right.

    4
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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:02 PM

    @Fergus O’Donnell: i though that was commen knowledge like!.

    1
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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 11:49 AM

    All together now
    “We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out and the ship lost its way in a fog……..

    2
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:57 PM

    One, could conclude that, there is a memorandum of Understanding, between all sides, Officially!

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:30 PM

    One, is ready for such outcome, there should not be any issues

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:36 PM

    Still watching, decent game, 1 up for Home team

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:58 PM

    One, is watching live !

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:01 PM

    Still watching, live score o

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:07 PM

    One, is aware of kick off, original colours as agreed, ” You & me ” !

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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:49 PM

    One, is live watching!

    1
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