John Halligan, above, Ireland’s Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, has outraged faith-heads by claiming that God does not exist, and that some people in the pro-life movement are ‘bastards’.
According to this report, he equated anti-abortionists with the Jihadi terror group Isis.
If that wasn’t enough to ruffle the fundies’ feathers, Halligan said he would “absolutely” break the law to help someone die by suicide if he or she were in pain.
And there more.
He argues that prostitution should be regulated so that “lonely” men have an outlet for sex and that people caught smoking “a bit of hash” should not be brought to court.
An atheist, Mr Halligan says that he doesn’t believe a God could exist because nobody could create a world of raging war, murders and rapes.
We’re being asked to believe that – boom – Adam and Eve appeared on earth, and then we all came from Adam and Eve. I don’t think there’s any God – I know for a fact there’s not.
However, he believes other species exist in the universe but humans may be “so unsophisticated” or “moronic” that they are “just passing us off”.
Halligan added that humans need to get over their own self-importance and realise that in a short time the earth will be gone.
The solar system will be destroyed. Our sun will burn up and burn out and destroy all the planets.
The minister recently placed himself in direct conflict with his government partners in Fine Gael by insisting that he be allowed vote in favour of a Mick Wallace Bill that would pave the way for abortion.
Having been subjected to threats because of his stance on abortion, Mr Halligan describes a minority of people in the pro-life movement as “a mob” and he has taken legal advice on “the bastards”.
And they’re the guys who call themselves Christians. Could you imagine those people in power? Oh, Isis here we come.
According to this report, the outspoken Waterford politician is also planning to introduce a bill proposing to make assisted suicide legal in Ireland.
He said:
The objective of the bill is that, people who are terminally ill and are about to die within six months, who are going through insufferable pain, that they should have a right to be assisted to die.
It’s not criminally wrong to commit suicide in Ireland but it’s wrong legislatively or criminally if you help someone, if you assist somebody with suicide. I think that’s terrible.
It probably is a step too far in a relatively conservative country that it (the bill) would be passed on first go. It probably won’t be but it will be interesting to see how many people vote for it.
Speaking to Keelin Shanley on RTÉ Radio 1, Halligan said he would help an Irish citizen to die if they needed it.
If someone came to me and asked for help, I’d have to think about it very carefully, but I would certainly give them all the details regarding Dignitas in Switzerland, how to get there, I have all the information.
I think even by saying this to you – it’s illegal for me to do that – but, what the heck, I believe in it. If I believe in assisted suicide I have to go through and believe that I would help people.
Speaking about the pain and suffering a friend of his went through a few years ago, John said animals would be treated better.
He recalled:
He had abdominal cancer that spread to his private parts. I remember going to see him and he was bleeding from his eyes with the pain he was going through. It was absolutely unbelievable. He died about six weeks later but for those weeks he went through the most unbelievable inhumane pain that even morphine would not relieve.
He wanted to die, he said it to me ‘I shouldn’t be like this’, in pain 24 hours a day. We have to look at that.
I know we can’t equate animals with humans but if your pet was sick you would ask the vet to end their suffering.
He also revealed that he has it written in his will that he would like to be helped end his life if he is diagnosed with a terminal illness.