Sir, - I'm puzzled that some prominent pro-lifers accept the terms of the proposed abortion referendum, in particular the fact that the Constitution will defend the rights of the conceptus only after implantation.
The strength of the Roman position is respect for life from the moment of conception to the last breath. If respect for life doesn't begin until implantation, the intrauterine device (IUD) is not an abortifacient, nor are various high-oestrogen pills, even though, according to the Pope, they murder the fertilised ovum which is already a human being with no less right to life than himself.
To claim that the referendum is dealing primarily with law is na∩ve. Rome knows only too well the dangers of separating law and ethics. If the Papal Nuncio were to refer this matter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I'm sure it would react negatively to the terms of the referendum.
At present, strict Catholic hospitals deal with ectopic pregnancies by excising the Fallopian tube, on the grounds that it is sick. Under the proposed amendment, doctors would be entitled to kill the fertilised ovum directly because it has not been implanted, thus leaving the tube intact.
Further, if a fertilised ovum is not given the absolute respect due to a human being, how can pro-lifers speak out with full force against experimenting on embryos which have not been implanted? These would become at the very least embryos of the second class.
Time will show, I think, that those who framed the latest amendment have achieved something remarkable, namely, a text that few in Ireland, whether for or against abortion, can vote for. - Yours, etc.,
Peter De Rosa, Ashford, Co Wicklow.