Many people will be shocked by the abortion review report released today. The Government persuaded many thousands of people to vote for the abortion referendum on the basis there would be some safeguards for children, yet five years later, it looks like the Government is going to wash away the remaining safeguards. Last year, there was an enormous jump in the number of abortions that happened, with a 25% increase. Approximately 8,500 unborn children were aborted last year, which is an incredible figure, nearly three times what it was in 2017. Since the legislation was brought in, 25,000 unborn children have been aborted, the equivalent of 1,120 classrooms of children. It is catastrophic for each one of those children. It now looks as though the three-day wait, which has saved thousands of lives, is under threat and the ability of the majority of doctors to refuse to carry out abortions on the basis of conscientious objection will be threatened. The Taoiseach said in this Chamber that he accepts that “the unborn child is a human life with rights." Is his Government about to delete the few remaining rights unborn children have?

I thank the Deputy. I think he is jumping the gun a bit here. The review was commissioned by the Government, as we were mandated and required by the Oireachtas to do. I thank Marie O'Shea for the thorough job she has done. The report is only being published today and people will have a chance to read it. In fairness to her, she has done a very thorough job. All that the Government has decided is to refer the operational aspects to the HSE for implementation and the proposed legislative changes, not proposed by the Government but by the reviewer, to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health for further consideration. We have made no decision whatsoever on any of those legislative proposals. It will now sit with the Oireachtas committee. It will have a chance to consider it and make a report back to the Government, and we will consider it then.

I would anticipate, not for every party but certainly for my party and I think for Fianna Fáil and perhaps Sinn Féin and other parties as well, that this will be a free vote and a vote of conscience for people.

It will not be the case that it is the Government but, like I say, we are pushing many steps ahead here.