Waterford campaigner for the repeal of the 8th amendment, Claire Cullen-Del Sol, says she finds it hard to take the views of the Bishop of Waterford seriously, after comments he made linking the HPV vaccine to promiscuity.
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinane has spoken out on the abortion debate and rejected suggestions that the current legal regime is an unsafe environment for Irish mothers.
In an article in the Irish Times the Bishop described the impeachment of the former UCD Students Union president Katie Ascough, for her decision to remove information on abortion services from a student handbook, as a denial of her freedom of speech.
He said that she was to be commended for her anti-abortion views and her refusal to have the UCD Students Union print clearly pro-abortion material in its handbook.
Waterford Campaigner Claire Cullen-Del Sol says the church has been inconsistent on their position on abortion over the years.
"They do tend to change their mind depending on what suits them," she says, "you could say that science has moved on, medecine has moved on, but I don't think the church has."
Ms. Cullen-Del Sol says Bishop Cullinane has displayed "very little understanding of science or medicine" and that he should stick to religious matters.
