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Independent Senator Sharon Keogan Oireachtas.ie

Senator objects to 'deeply personal attack' after being labelled 'crude and cold' during committee

Sharon Keogan says a comment she made to representative for Irish Gay Dads was “misinterpreted”.

INDEPENDENT SENATOR SHARON Keogan has written to the chair of the Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy after she was asked to apologise for comments she made during yesterday’s meeting. 

Keogan had told the meeting that she was opposed to surrogacy on the grounds that it was “harmful, exploitative and unethical”, adding that she “does not believe it is everyone’s right to have a child”. 

The committee had been hearing evidence from witnesses with experience of surrogacy, including those who had had children conceived using assisted human reproduction.

Following Keogan’s contribution, Elaine Cohalan of the Assisted Human Reproduction Coalition urged committee members to use respectful language. 

“Inflammatory language, and using undefined terms don’t benefit the debate,” she said.

In a letter sent to chair of the committee Jennifer Whitmore TD of the Social Democrats, Keogan rejected that her comments were inflammatory and took issue with “this characterisation of my words”.

Keogan claims that “the tone of the meeting changed” following Cohalan’s remarks and that several members subsequently referred to her words as “inflammatory”.  

Independent Senator Lynn Ruane told yesterday’s hearing that members of the committee should not oppose matters because of “personal bigotry” but should “critically engage” with a topic. 

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Ruane accused Keogan of being “crude and cold” and asked her to “check your Christian values”. Keogan has taken issue this “deeply personal attack”.

“I wish to object to this deeply personal attack on me during a public meeting and contend that the language used by the member was inflammatory, discriminatory and sought to characterise me and my contribution unfairly,” Keogan writes. 

Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion TD was acting chair of yesterday’s hearing and suspended the committee after Keogan said that Gearoid Kenny Moore, a representative for Irish Gay Dads, was “extremely lucky to be here today.”

Keogan says she was not given an opportunity to explain what she intended to say: 

The meeting was suspended, and I was asked to apologise to a witness. I believe that no apology is due because the acting Chair shut me down while I was trying to finish a point which she arbitrarily decided to misinterpret. I was not allowed to finish the point when I tried again later.

“During a brief private meeting of the Committee, the acting chair proceeded to warn me that the witnesses could sue me under privilege. This is incorrect and that warning should be withdrawn and matters around parliamentary privilege advised to the acting chair. This warning was completely unwarranted and without foundation.”

Repeating comments she made during yesterday’s hearing, Keogan has categorised the committee as “an echo chamber” and said that evidence should be obtained “from a wide variety of witnesses with differing views”.

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    Mute Victoria Victoria
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:11 PM

    Good to see cases remaining stable. No reason to not reopen on the 22nd.

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    Mute Richarddoherty
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:17 PM

    @Victoria Victoria: if we had those numbers march April 2020 we would been in lockdown with 2km limits and totally working from home don’t complacent or promptious

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    Mute Paul Keenan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:23 PM

    @Richarddoherty: if we had vaccines in April 2020 we wouldn’t have needed a lockdown at all,stop wetting you bed

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    Mute Paul Keenan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:24 PM

    @Richarddoherty: plus we had way more cases then we just had no testing capacity

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:27 PM

    @Richarddoherty: We have over 92% of adults vaccinated. That’s the big difference between now and April of 2020.

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    Mute Bert Carolan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:46 PM

    @Richarddoherty: I try not to be promptious after eight in the evening, it gives me heartburn.

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    Mute Joe_X
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    Oct 12th 2021, 9:13 PM

    @Richarddoherty: thankfully though, we have vaccines now!

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    Mute Aonghus O Flaherty
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    Oct 13th 2021, 9:43 AM

    @Richarddoherty: clueless comment

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    Mute Kim Steen Hansen
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    Oct 12th 2021, 5:59 PM

    How many ICU beds do we have in total?

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:04 PM

    @Kim Steen Hansen: around 350 ICU beds

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    Mute Thomas Armstrong
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:04 PM

    @Kim Steen Hansen: Not sure but now it’s 287 which is a far cry to were it should be.

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    Mute Seán O'Sullivan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:06 PM

    @Kim Steen Hansen: not enough 8% of the adult population unvaccinates 70% of the icu cases

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    Mute Kim Steen Hansen
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:07 PM

    @Roy Dowling: thank you

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    Mute Kim Steen Hansen
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:07 PM

    @Thomas Armstrong: thank you

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    Mute Thomas Armstrong
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:07 PM

    @Roy Dowling: It was that for a while but they lowered it back to 287, so under 300 again. I wish it was 350 all year long & even higher during the winter.

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    Mute Kim Steen Hansen
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:08 PM

    @Seán O’Sullivan: thank you for the accurate number of UCI beds we have

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    Mute Kevin McMahon
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:30 PM

    @Seán O’Sullivan: wow is that correct for sure? Do you have a link for that figure. Seems very high coming from such a small pool. Thanks

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:35 PM

    @Kim Steen Hansen: We had 250 back in 2011 when a report recommended we double ICU capacity to at least 500. So between them and the start of the pandemic we actually chose to lower it to 248 instead. Not sure of exact figure atm, but can’t imagine it’s much better

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:55 PM

    @Thomas Armstrong: lowing the number is crazy. Should be a lot more than 350

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    Mute Kim Steen Hansen
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    Oct 12th 2021, 7:08 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: perfect thank you

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    Mute Elaine Phelan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 8:21 PM

    @Kevin McMahon: yes, 70% of ICU cases are unvaccinated. 3% of those had their first dose. That’s assuming everyone in ICU is over 18, which is very likely

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    Mute Elaine Phelan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 8:21 PM
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    Mute Paul Keenan
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    Oct 12th 2021, 8:45 PM
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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Oct 12th 2021, 6:25 PM

    Yesterday there were 400 in hospital not 382.

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    Mute Stuart Birney
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    Oct 13th 2021, 7:07 PM

    Winter is coming! Close the pubs! Cases rampant.. Lock Down immediately!!!

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