SINN Féin Senator Paul Gavan has welcomed the passing of legislation at second stage of the Seanad this week to create safe access zones around healthcare settings that provide abortion services.
The Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill has been produced by Together For Safety, a national campaign group based in Limerick who have been calling for implementation of safe access zones for over a year.
Speaking after the legislation had passed second stage on Wednesday, Limerick-based Senator Gavan said: “This is a significant day and I want to thank all Senators who spoke in favour of this Bill and the urgent need to establish safe access zones around our maternity hospitals and family planning centres.
“All credit for this Bill belongs to Together for Safety, a national campaign group for Safe Access Zones that I have had the privilege to work with for the last number of years.
“Together for safety is a Limerick based group that works with a number of bodies across the country to campaign for the establishment of these safe access zones.”
Senator Gavan said that there are gatherings outside maternity hospitals every week “by anti-choice protestors”.
“The previous Government promised safe access zone legislation to ensure that these protests would not take place outside those hospitals. Three years on we are still waiting. There are people monitoring, marching, praying and watching women and pregnant people going in and out of maternity hospitals,” he added.
“People have fundamental rights to privacy and dignity, especially so when they are visiting a hospital. These protests, which are happening outside many hospitals throughout the State, are attempting to intimidate and cause upset. They are invading women and pregnant people’s privacy and bodily autonomy at a profoundly vulnerable and sensitive time. People should not have to access healthcare like this.
“The Bill now moves to Committee stage and I would urge the Minister and his Department to engage with the cross-party alliance that has got behind this Bill, and the activists from Together For Safety,” concluded Senator Gavan.
However, pro-life groups have slammed the proposed legislation, saying it would “severely restrict a person’s constitutional right to protest against abortion in Ireland”.
Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said: “It is a sad day for Ireland when Sinn Féin introduce a bill which could lead to six months imprisonment for a person marching in protest past the GPO. This legislation is an attempt to silence dissent against the daily abortion abuses happening across our country.”
