Danny Healy-Rae: Backs 3-Day Wait, Opposes Sinn Féin Motion
Danny Healy-Rae explains why he cannot support the Sinn Féin motion and why he supports a three-day wait before termination decisions. He frames the birth of a child as a wonder and argues the unborn child has a right to life, saying a short reflection period can save lives.
Main points: Danny Healy-Rae states he cannot support Sinn Féin's motion and did not support the Social Democrats previously. He argues the birth of a child is a wonder and that those conceived are entitled to the right to life, supporting a three-day wait as reasonable when a human life is at stake.
Reasons given: Healy-Rae says a brief waiting period gives women time to reflect and consider alternatives to ending a pregnancy, and that additional hours or days have already saved lives. He points to the possibility of adoption as an option for mothers who do not wish to raise a child.
Personal context: The speaker frames his position in moral and personal terms, noting his belief in the value of every child and his experience seeing couples who cannot have children. He presents the three-day wait as a modest measure that could preserve life and allow reflection.
Implications: Healy-Rae rejects support for motions he believes do not protect the unborn and says he could not consider supporting them. The remarks highlight the ethical and practical dimensions of debates on abortion policy, referencing Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats as context for his stance.
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Thank you very much. I'm glad to get the opportunity to talk on this this evening and I can't support Sinn Féin with this motion and neither would I support the Social Democrats a week or so ago and it's my firm belief that the birth of a child is a wonder and it's something that's better than all the rest and I think that the child is entitled to the right to life and like we got a chance at it and this three-day wait, it surely isn't much to have to wait when the birth of a child is at stake, a human being and who I believe has a right once they are conceived to be born and to live and three days more isn't that, it can't be that much and it could save the life of the child and has done and when a girl or a woman gets a few more hours to reflect on it and to look at maybe other options other than destroying the life of a little baby, a boy or a girl, no one knows or could imagine how much they would contribute to the world and to families and the difference they could make and I too often see couples who fail to have children, it wouldn't be nice if they could adopt a child even if the mother doesn't want to hold on to it. So I can vote for this motion, I could never consider it.
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