Editing John A. Costello (section)

===Mother and Child Scheme===
In 1950, the independent-minded [[Minister for Health (Ireland)|Minister for Health]], [[Noel Browne]], introduced the [[Mother and Child Scheme]]. The scheme would provide mothers with free maternity treatment and their children with free medical care up to the age of sixteen, which was the normal provision in other parts of Europe at that time. The bill was opposed by doctors, who feared a loss of income, and [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] bishops, who opposed the lack of means testing envisaged and feared the scheme could lead to birth control and abortion. The cabinet was divided over the issue, many feeling that the state could not afford such a scheme priced at IR£2,000,000 annually. Costello and others in the cabinet made it clear that in the face of such opposition, they would not support the Minister. Browne resigned from the government on 11 April 1951, and the scheme was dropped. He immediately published his correspondence with Costello and the bishops, something which had hitherto not been done. Derivatives of the Mother and Child Scheme would be introduced in the Public Health Acts of 1954, 1957 and 1970.

Costello took the opportunity to reconfirm his beliefs in Catholicism on 12 April 1951, in his speech on Dr. Browne's resignation: {{cquote|I have no hesitation in saying that we, as a Government, representing a people, the overwhelming majority of whom are of the one faith, who have a special position in the Constitution, when we are given advice or warnings by the authoritative people in the Catholic Church, on matters strictly confined to faith and morals, so long as I am here—and I am sure I speak for my colleagues—will give to their directions, given within that scope—and I have no doubt that they do not desire in the slightest to go one fraction of an inch outside the sphere of faith and morals—our complete obedience and allegiance." ... "I am an Irishman second, I am a Catholic first, and I accept without qualification in all respects the teaching of the hierarchy and the church to which I belong.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0722/1224301128686.html |title="Irish Times" timeline, 22 July 2011 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=25 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725065150/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0722/1224301128686.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0125/D.0125.195104120043.html Dáil Éireann – Volume 125 – 12 April 1951 Adjournment Debate—Resignation of Minister; seen on 11 December 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016233243/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0125/D.0125.195104120043.html |date=16 October 2013 }}</ref>}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oireachtas |first=Houses of the |date=1951-04-12 |title=Adjournment Debate—Resignation of Minister. – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Thursday, 12 Apr 1951 – Houses of the Oireachtas |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1951-04-12/43 |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=oireachtas.ie}}</ref>