Abortion and the law – dissenting voices

Sir, – Breda O’Brien suggests that, at a conference she organised with Patricia Casey 25 years ago, I was the “only one dissenting voice” present who disagreed with reducing abortions (“Why is it so hard to believe anti-abortion people are just as motivated by human rights?”, Opinion & Analysis, May 6th).

As the overwhelming support for repeal five years ago clearly showed, the vast majority of Irish people recognise that women must have access to safe legal abortion. Compassionate voters recognised that women must have choices, because no woman ever wants to experience a crisis or unwanted pregnancy. Indeed, over my many decades as a feminist pro-choice campaigner, I have fought for rights to access both contraception and abortion services, and for reduction in the incidence of crisis pregnancy. I now call on the Government to ensure swift implementation of the O’Shea report’s practical recommendations on abortion law, so that women and girls in Ireland can have full access to reproductive healthcare here. For far too long, conservative forces have denied our rights. Thankfully, in a modern progressive republic, they now represent a small minority of dissenting voices. – Yours, etc,

IVANA BACIK TD,

(Labour),