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.

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.