Sir, – I, as a citizen of Ireland with no religious beliefs, find myself compelled to write in support of Diarmuid Martin’s expression of anxiety concerning the protection of healthy unborn children who are viable outside the womb (Letters, May 16th).
If a woman who proceeds with a pregnancy to, for example, 23 weeks with a healthy unborn child who is viable outside the womb, says she is suicidal, is it right that this unborn child be deliberately “terminated” so as to mitigate the risk of her committing suicide?
If so, we could find ourselves in a situation where a healthy child born prematurely but viable outside the womb at 23 weeks is given all medical support and assistance to survive in one hospital room, while a healthy unborn child 23 weeks old who is also viable outside the womb is deliberately ‘terminated’ in another.
Should the fate of such children really turn on their respective positions vis-a-vis a thin layer of human tissue and the mental states of their respective mothers?
To those who say to this particular conundrum that it would be a woman’s right to choose and that it’s her body, I ask: what if the latter child is a little girl? What choice does she have? What about her body? – Yours, etc,
ROB SADLIER,
Stocking Avenue,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
Sir, – The time is surely long gone for us to spend acres and acres of newsprint on the finer points of “suicide ideation”, their words, not mine within the abortion debate. Most of the debate is being driven by minority groups such as Youth Defence and other assorted proponents of the right and far right.
Even such a modest proposal for provision in the case of rape or incest as argued for by John Halligan TD for Waterford was voted down in the Dáil.
It would appear that for years those in favour of a “woman’s right to choose” have been reluctant to go all-out for a properly resourced service up to 24 weeks for a foetal abortion with the appropriate pre and post-natal care, given that the Irish Family Planning Association, as far back as August 2005, was calling for a legal right to abortion.
The silence of the majority of pro-choice Labour TDs and Senators is deafening, with few exceptions. Obviously the Labour leadership is too concerned with its sweetheart deal with Fine Gael and consequent ministerial seats to argue for a proper service.
As to minister Lucinda Creighton’s desire for a review, yes certainly by all means, let us have a review after five years; if the numbers of women going to England has been reduced substantially down from 4,000-5,000 to the low hundreds or fewer then it has been successful.
Obviously there will always be circumstances where some women may feel more comfortable going out of this State given the phalanx of obfuscation and mythology that dominates attitudes within it. – Yours, etc,
KEITH CARGILL,
Drinagh,
Ennistymon, Co Clare.
Sir, – I have a question for abortion rights campaigners (Abigail Rooney, April 30th, Dr Clara Fischer, May 16th). My life began at conception. That is a biological fact, not an opinion. So at what stage of my life did my mother lose her right to choose to terminate it and my right to go on living begin?
I have not seen this matter addressed by any pro-choice activists. The proposed legislation provides for abortion as a treatment for suicidal ideation even though that treatment certainly results in the death of a totally innocent and helpless human being. Do they care about that? Surely it is possible to take care of a distressed mother and her child. – Yours, etc,
EVELYN O’BYRNE,
Ardara, Co Donegal.
Sir, – The brave testimonies of the women suffering from the after effects of abortion given to the cross-party politicians in Leinster House this week confirms the fact that, far from being a treatment for mental illness, abortion, in many cases, can actually induce it. Recently, more than 100 psychiatrists signed a statement saying that legislation, which would allow for abortion as a treatment for threat of suicide, has no basis in medical evidence.
Commenting on the results, one of the four consultants who commissioned the survey, Dr Bernie McCabe, said, “I am not surprised that so many of our colleagues agree that the proposed legislation is flawed. As members of the medical profession, we have a duty to our patients to adopt best practice and an evidence-based approach to everything we do.” Previously, the chairman of the Irish Association of Suicidology stated that legislation based on the X case would create a “logistical nightmare” for psychiatrists if implemented. In addition, at its recent AGM in Killarney, the Irish Medical Organisation voted against any legislation on abortion.
The key question is: why is the Government ignoring all the medical evidence and the testimony of experts in the field? Are they now also going to ignore the evidence given by women who have actually suffered from the after effects of abortion as well? – Yours, etc,
JIM OSULLIVAN,
Newtown, Bantry, Co Cork.
A chara, – Whatever one’s opinion of the rights and wrongs of abortion, is there not a glaring contradiction in Coadjutor Archbishop Eamon Martin’s article (Opinion, May 14th), where he says that “no majority” can modify or destroy the right to life, and then seeks to further his argument in the next sentence by asking “How can it be claimed this is the will of the Irish people?”
Is he saying that he can ignore a majority if it goes against his beliefs, but appeal to a majority if it coincides with his opinion? It smacks of having cake and eating it. – Is mise,
JOE McLAUGHLIN,
Lothian Street, Bonnyrigg,
Midlothian, Scotland.
Sir, – People worthy of the name Catholic must now stand up and be counted. They must do all in their power, with dignity, to prevent abortion being introduced into our country. This may well be Catholic Ireland’s last stand in defence of the weakest in our society. – Yours, etc,
TERENCE FLANAGAN,
Kiltimagh, Co Mayo.