Sir, – With abortion numbers having increased to 10,033 during 2023, it might be a good time to recall the words of one politician last year: “I don’t think anyone thinks that abortion is a good thing. It’s sometimes necessary but it’s not a good thing. There are over 8,000 abortions happening in Ireland every year. I would like that number to be lower”. These were the words of then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar. As to what was done to decrease that 8,000 figure, we can only guess that it was a failure as abortions have now increased by 2,000 in the very year that he spoke those words. Women need to be supported in pregnancy and offered assurances that they will continue to receive support even after their child is born, it is simply not enough to “like that number to be lower”. Women deserve better than what is currently being given to them. – Yours, etc,
JUNE TWOOMEY,
Kilrush,
Co Clare.
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A chara, – The rapid recent growth in the abortion rates in Ireland is deeply worrying. Any person, even those who categorise themselves as pro-choice, must ask themselves if this is a positive development for our society.
In 2018, Leo Varadkar spoke to the Irish public after the cabinet agreed to hold a referendum on removing the 8th Amendment. In that speech, the then-taoiseach promised voters that a Yes vote would lead to abortion that was “safe, legal and rare”. The “rare” part of this promise is now categorically untrue, with news that abortion rates now stand above 10,000.
Presumably the reason that Mr Varadkar wanted to assure people that abortion would be rare is because, in every abortion, a human life is ended and with it the potential that comes with the birth of every child.
It was also implied that these would be rare because, as pro-choice groups would agree, there are physical and psychological effects on women who have abortions. We never hear enough about the need to support women in these circumstances, as if providing them with an abortion and forgetting about it is enough.
If this issue was truly about helping women, then the recent huge rise in numbers would be front and centre of the debate. With the cost-of-living crisis and the rising cost of raising a family, we, as a society, need to start demanding that our leaders do more to make it easy for those who want to raise families to be able to do so.
It is a terrible indictment of Ireland that people feel that their only option is abortion and that they do so, in many cases, because of a lack of support from a Government which should prioritise nurturing the next generation.
Whatever your views, surely, we can all agree that 10,033 abortions during 2023 is too many and at the very least a far cry from what Leo Varadkar promised voters when he announced the Repeal the Eighth referendum.
At the moment, the ratio of abortions to live births in Ireland is approximately four abortions to 22 live births. Are we going to find ourselves in a similar situation to England and Wales in 2022 where there were nine abortions to every 22 live births? We certainly seem to be heading in that direction. So much for “rare”! – Is mise,
SIOBHAN NIC CATHAIL,
Cnoc an Chrochaire,
Co Ros Comáin.