Paul Bradford (Renua Ireland) | Oireachtas source

I would very much agree with the comments of Senator Quinn on the conflict in the Middle East. Perhaps it is time for a substantial debate on the matter. It appears that any time we talk about the politics and the conflict of the Middle East in the House we automatically revert to a position in which Israel is seen at being at the core of all problems, and we need to be balanced in our view of that part of the world. We need to recognise that the state and the people of Israel have for generations been the victims of the most appalling campaign against them, and we need to reflect upon that. Obviously, the two-state solution, which I think everybody in this House would support, seems to have faded from the political scene and there needs to be an international engagement to get it back on track. I fully respect the right of the state of Palestine to exist but I also respect the right of the State of Israel to exist. It is on the record that there are not only groupings but entire political establishments in the Middle East that want to wipe the state of Israel off the map, and we should not bow to that.

Finally, I concur with what Senator Rónán Mullen stated in relation to the earlier comments on the abortion legislation proposals from Northern Ireland. The Leader has wisely accepted that we should have a more substantive debate here in the early part of next year. Language is something I want to mention. Language is not only powerful; it is a very strong weapon. When we say the easy phrase, "fatal foetal abnormality," we are talking about babies who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. They are human beings. At least one grouping representing parents who had such babies, who might have lived for a day, a week or a month, attempted to make their views known to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children two years ago but were not allowed to do so. We need to be sensitive. There are no such babies as babies with fatal foetal abnormalities. There are babies with serious, profound, life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, but they are still human beings.