Laois Sinn Féin TD says anti-abortion repeal colleague has 'made a mistake'
Laois Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has said his former party colleague Carol Nolan "made a mistake" in opposing her party's backing for 8th Amendment Referendum and resigning from the party.
His statement comes justs days after Offaly TD Nolan left Sinn Féin citing a disagreement over the party's support for abortion as her reason.
"It is with deep disappointment to me that Carol has resigned from Sinn Féin. Carol was a valued colleague in the party and I have always had a good working relationship with her since she joined six years ago.
"However, I think she made a mistake in voting in the Dail last March against allowing the public to have their say in a Referendum on the 8th Amendment. I also think she made a mistake in resigning from the party," he added.
He said there was an issue central to Dep Nolan's resignation.
"The reality is that repealing the 8th amendment was contained in the Sinn Féin manifesto for the general election 2016 as it had been for over two decades."
Read also: Carol Nolan's resignation statement
"The mandate we were given from the people of Laois/Offaly when we were elected as TDs was based on that. We also have to respect the mandate given to us in the recent Referendum and legislate for limited access to abortion," he continued.
"For the 5th time the Sinn Fein membership assembled at an Ard Fheis, democratically decided last week that our TDs should vote in line with party policy on this matter," the Laois deputy explained.
"TDs are given a mandate by the electorate and the party, to represent them in the Dail. We are not there to represent ourselves."
"I want to wish Carol and her family all the best in the future," Dep Stanley concluded.
The two TDs were due to be running mates in the re-united Laois Offaly constituency at the next General Election. The two counties are due to lose due to a boundary review.
Dep Stanley won a seat in Laois Offaly in 2011 while Dep Nolan was returned to the Dáil in 2016 when Laois and Offaly were seperated into two three seaters.
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