Sir, – I have been following the correspondence on these pages and have been keeping track of anti-abortion comment in print, on radio and television on our latest national disgrace.
The word I keep seeing come up is “care”. I would like to know what exactly these people mean by “care”?
What kind of care do these people think should have been given to the young woman in the remaining 14 weeks of her pregnancy?
The only “care” I can think of that would result in a favourable outcome in the eyes of these people is forcibly restraining and force-feeding this woman to term. Or perhaps they mean exclusively psychiatric care?
Some people seem to believe that psychiatrists have the supernatural power to change women’s minds about such an important and private question as whether or not they wish to give birth. A few encouraging words and a pat on the back and, hey presto, they’ll see the error of their ways. And yet these same people came out of the woodwork during the debate last year to tell us that psychiatrists cannot adequately assess suicide risk, something they are trained to do and do so every week.
It seems what psychiatrists can or cannot do depends on what will serve the anti-abortion line of argument.
We need to challenge these euphemistic misnomers, fudges and hollow catchphrases at every turn. Yes, they are couched in a language of care and compassion, but strip that phoney veneer from them and they merely serve to justify the infantilisation, brutalisation and humiliation of women.
I certainly hope I never end up in their “care”. – Yours, etc,
AINE MALONE,
Lally Road,
Ballyfermot,
Dublin 10.
Sir, - Fintan O'Toole lists the 14 bodies that established the Pro-Life Amendment Campaign in January 1981 ("Why Ireland never faced up to the issue of abortion", Opinion & Analysis, August 26th). He labels 10 of them as "sectarian" on the basis that they were "explicitly and exclusively Catholic". By this definition to be a member of any body which is explicitly Catholic is to be "sectarian"! My local parish is explicitly and exclusively Catholic. Does this make me "sectarian" in the eyes of your illustrious columnist? – Yours, etc,
PADDY BARRY,
Brackenbush Road,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – It is disappointing to see some of the vitriol directed at Fintan O’Toole for daring to speak his opinion and point out some inconvenient facts. I was just into voting age when the 1983 amendment went to the ballot box. Even then, in my youthful inexperience, I remember thinking what a peculiar beast Irish politics was, as we had just had three national elections in less than two years. I remember the venom on the streets with tales of campaigners being spat on for just daring to encourage a No vote.
I asked my father about the reason behind such a referendum when abortion was already illegal. He explained to me, with some irony, that it wasn’t illegal enough and some people wanted to ensure, no matter what the majority wanted in the future, that no government could ever make it legal even if it tried.
Given recent events in 2014, it seems that his words are as true now as they were back in the political mess that was 1983. – Yours, etc,
ANDREW DOYLE,
Lislevane,
Bandon, Co Cork.