Sir - What strikes me as particularly ironic is the assertion by pro-abortionists that a woman should have the right to choose - the question really being: what kind of choice?
Should abortion become legal in Ireland the only kind of choice facing many young women with unwanted pregnancies is between destroying the life of an unborn child or enduring socio-economic exclusion, both carrying traumatic emotional consequences.
For those women who make the brave choice to keep the child, there is little social reward. In modern-day Ireland they are often subject to discrimination in the workplace and find little help from public institutions.
In the Netherlands abortion is legal up to 13 weeks - yet the country has one of the lowest abortion rates in the EU thanks to the comprehensive supportive social services from which every citizen benefits, whatever their class, race or colour. A single mother can count on the following services: accommodation if she needs it; free pre-natal, maternity and post-natal care; and heavily subsidised childcare facilities. Not only this, the government has also incentives in place to help single mothers to remain active as social citizens through programmes in job training and education.
Thanks to the favourable economic climate, the Irish Government is now for the first time in a position to finance a restructuring of the present social services for women. The cheaper solution, of course, is to legalise abortion - but it would be a source of great pride for Ireland if we could implement the necessary changes yet at the same time take a stand to protect the life of the unborn. - Yours, etc.,
Ciara Dunne, Tussenmeer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.