Half of Fianna Fail TDs in Dail Eireann and one Sinn Fein TD, voted against holding a referendum on Repeal of the eight Amendment.
It was a vote against democracy, pure and simple.
Up to now some anti-choice politicians claimed that they would support a referendum – even if they favoured the retention of the eight amendment. It was a matter of elementary democracy.
The Eight Amendment was inserted into the Irish constitution in 1983 – that was over 35 years ago. when many people were not even born then
But as support for Repeal is strong, the anti-choice campaigners fear the results of a referendum. That is why their TDs voted against democracy.
On the door steps, the anti-choice brigade have been trying to tap into working class discontent by suggesting that ‘you should not trust politicians’.
It is indeed a healthy sentiment not to trust politicians who have repeatedly lied to the people. The real issue, however, is whether or not women should be trusted. In order to facilitate that, there has to be Repeal.
But by voting against even holding a referendum, the anti-choice lobby showed that it does not trust the Irish people even with basic democracy.
The attitude of the die-hard conservatives in Fianna Fail came as no surprise. But the vote of the Sinn Fein TD, Carol Nolan, is shocking and she has been suspended for three months.
This is just a wrap on the knuckles. In any decent left wing party, she would be told to leave permanently.
The Fianna Fáil TDs who voted against it were Bobby Aylward, Declan Breathnach, Mary Butler, Jackie Cahill, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, John Curran, Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, Seán Haughey, Marc MacSharry, John McGuinness, Aindrias Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O’Mahony, Eugene Murphy, Kevin O’Keeffe, Frank O’Rourke, Éamon Ó Cuív, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth.