‘Fornication’ TD defends erotic bestseller

The Mayo TD who claimed “fornication” was the single greatest cause of unwanted pregnancies in Ireland and that “in some instances abortion is being used as birth control”, has emerged as an unlikely fan of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Michelle Mulherin described the book, which has sold 40m copies worldwide and which features bondage and domination, as “a challenge that presents all relationships now”.

Fifty Shades of Grey features what Ms Mulherin refers to as “full-throttle violence” perpetrated on the female lead by the man.