O’Dea joins FF majority and votes against bill

Limerick TD Willie O’Dea had a last-minute change of mind on the bill allowing for abortion in limited circumstances, and joined the majority of Fianna Fáil TDs in voting against it.

Despite earlier attempts by party leader Micheál Martin to achieve a party consensus to support the legislation, 13 out of the party’s 19 Dáil members opposed it after being permitted a free vote.

In a setback for the leader’s efforts to brand Fianna Fáil as a more progressive party and reach out to women voters, just six of its TDs supported the second stage of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

They included Mr Martin as well as spokesperson on health, Billy Kelleher and other front bench spokespeople Timmy Dooley, Niall Collins, Barry Cowen, and Michael Moynihan.

When a four hour meeting failed to reach consensus on the issue in early May, Mr O’Dea told RTÉ radio’s Today with Pat Kenny that he would be supporting the bill.

“At the moment termination on the grounds of suicide is available as a result of the decision of the Supreme Court,” he told the show on May 3.

“The legislation seeks to regulate that and sets out a very carefully designed procedure... The Government is moving to legislate on a direction of a European court and we have to deal with that,” he said.

But he announced his U-turn to Limerick Live 95 Radio yesterday morning ahead of voting against the bill — saying he had a problem with the wording because it does not prevent a liberal abortion regime.

Among the Fianna Fáil TDs voting against the bill are its finance spokesperson, Michael McGrath, who is in Mr Martin’s constituency of Cork South Central, and enterprise spokesperson, Dara Calleary who is in the Mayo constituency where two Fine Gael TDs are threatening to vote against the bill. Fianna Fáil’s youngest TD, Robert Troy also voted against it.

Galway West TD, Éamon Ó Cuív, said the legislation does not uphold the constitutional right to life of the unborn. He said those across party lines who join him in voting no will “be punished by their parties for doing so” but “will be making the correct decision”.