A Labour TD (Member of Parliament) has slammed Cardinal Sean Brady's Christmas message, saying it ‘misrepresented’ the legal position within which the Oireachtas is required to legislate for abortion.

Speaking on Wednesday, Clare Labour TD Michael McNamara expressed his “disappointment that Cardinal Brady took the opportunity of his Christmas message to again misrepresent the legal position within which the Oireachtas is required to legislate, as well as the proposed content of that legislation”

Mc Namara accused the Catholic leader of ignoring “the Constitutional position and resultant proposed legislation.”

During his annual Christmas message, the Catholic primate asked people to protest against plans to legislate abortion.

He said: “I hope that everyone who believes that the right to life is fundamental will make their voice heard in a reasonable, but forthright, way to their representatives.”

In response Deputy McNamara said: “That Constitutional position was set out clearly by Mr Justice McCarthy in the Supreme Court in the X case, as follows: ‘The right of the girl here is a right to a life in being; the right of the unborn is to a life contingent; contingent on survival in the womb until successful delivery. It is not a question of setting one above the other but rather of vindicating, as far as practicable, the right to life of the girl/mother (Article 40, s.3, sub-s. 2), whilst with due regard to the equal light to life of the girl/mother, vindicating, as far as practicable, the right to life of the unborn. (Article 40, s.3, sub-section 3′).”