Paul Murphy urges conscience vote on women's health bill
Paul Murphy called on colleagues to use non-electronic voting and to allow a conscience shift to pass a women's health bill that had already been passed by the last Dáil. He urged members to look at their consciences and even move from a no to an abstention, and noted that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael allowed a free vote on this bill but not on the next.
Paul Murphy appealed for a conscience-based approach to the vote, framing the matter as one of women's health and individual conscience rather than party discipline.
He described the motion as simply restoring a bill to the order paper that had already been passed by the previous Dáil and argued it should be permitted to proceed.
He requested that the Dáil vote by means other than electronic voting so members could reflect personally and, if necessary, shift from a no to an abstention to allow the bill through.
He observed that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had allowed a free vote on this measure but would not allow a free vote on the next one, highlighting what he presented as an inconsistency in approach.
Call for conscience vote
Paul Murphy appealed for a conscience-based approach to the vote, framing the matter as one of women's health and individual conscience rather than party discipline.
Restoring the bill to the order paper
He described the motion as simply restoring a bill to the order paper that had already been passed by the previous Dáil and argued it should be permitted to proceed.
Preferred voting method
He requested that the Dáil vote by means other than electronic voting so members could reflect personally and, if necessary, shift from a no to an abstention to allow the bill through.
Party free vote inconsistency
He observed that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had allowed a free vote on this measure but would not allow a free vote on the next one, highlighting what he presented as an inconsistency in approach.
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Transcript
Given the importance of this matter, given this is about women's health, given that it's simply about restoring a bill to the order paper that already had been passed by the last Dáil, I'm asking that we vote by means other than electronic and ask people to look at their consciences and even shift from a no to abstain to let it through. But I see that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have allowed a free vote on this one but aren't going to allow a free vote on the next one.