During a debate on Wednesday, Senator Sharon Keogan said that the legislation “may be the first time a bill has sought to criminalise the act of praying.”

She added that there was “more than a whiff of anti-Christian sentiment” about the Bill.

“The right to protest and assembly cannot be limited to what one wants. The law must treat all equally,” she concluded.

Senator Ronan Mullen asserted that the proposed legislation was “not constitutional” or “legally necessary.”

The Senator continued: “Article 40 of the Constitution “guarantees liberty for the exercise … subject to public order and morality … of the citizens to assemble”. This Bill would target the constitutional freedom of assembly of a specific group of people.

“None of this is permissible under the Constitution because everybody has the right to assemble peacefully and make their point.

He added: “I am afraid this legislation ultimately seeks to demonise people who want to offer positive alternatives to abortion. It is an attempt to deny there is a legitimate human rights argument in favour of protecting the unborn baby as well as a mother’s health and well-being. That counter narrative will always be there as long as abortion is legal in this country.”