During a debate on Wednesday, Senator Sharon Keogan [1] 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 [2] 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.”