Sir, – Enda Kenny seems to be in a frightful hurry to get the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill through the Dáil as rapidly as possible. Sitting until 5 am? The last time the Cabinet debated an issue until that hour, we ended up with the bank guarantee. Why the hurry?
The months of July and August lie ahead, free for Dáil debate at reasonable hours, until such time as proposed amendments are thoroughly debated. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Royal Oak Road,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.
Sir, – At this juncture, as our politicians debate the Government’s abortion proposal, it may be worth considering the Dublin Declaration on Maternal Healthcare which has, to date, been signed by over 200 obstetricians and gynaecologists in Ireland and worldwide.
“As experienced practitioners and researchers in obstetrics and gynaecology, we affirm that direct abortion – the purposeful destruction of the unborn child – is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.
“We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatment results in the loss of life of her unborn child. We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women.” – Yours, etc,
Prof EAMON O’DWYER,
Professor of Obstetrics
& Gynaecology (Emeritus),
NUI Galway,
University Road,
Galway.
Sir, – Apparently our Government found it necessary to work through the night – finishing just before 5am. I’m not surprised a Labour TD made a mistake, voting the opposite to the way he intended. I find it incomprehensible that the Government thinks it is acceptable to work through the night. Please, go home, get a good night’s sleep, and deal with the matter in hand refreshed the following morning. – Yours, etc,
GABRIELLE HYLAND,
Glenoughty Close,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – Fine Gael should not be too worried when pro-life supporters threaten never to vote for the party again. Irish people appear to have short memories when it comes to such vows, judging from Fianna Fáil’s current standing in the polls. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Meadow Copse,
Clonsilla,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – I see we’re still complaining about the right to conscientiously object to giving potentially life-saving treatment in the case of risk to life to mothers in pregnancy (July 11th). Here are some possible solutions: if you object to supplying treatment, another branch of medicine might be more suitable as a career; or perhaps hospitals could “conscientiously” opt out, whilst publicly notifying prospective patients that a range of potentially life-saving treatments will not be on offer in those establishments.
As for those who want everyone working in the health sector to be able to refuse to assist in supplying medical care when it suits them, they need to consider what it means to live in a society governed by laws, and see how they would like this attitude to be adopted by people with other ethical, philosophical or pragmatic concerns that differ from what is deemed legal and just. Maybe the Catholic Church could lead the way in this exciting new regime of moral relativism. – Yours, etc,
PAUL HEGARTY,
Sundays Well,
Cork.
A chara, – Rather than being “forced” or “bullied” to toe the party line or risk expulsion from the parliamentary party on a conscience issue, should Lucinda Creighton not quickly resign from a party that is so far removed from her values and whose Oireachtas members are largely unwilling to support her arguments on the abortion issue? Perhaps if Lucinda proposes to seek greener pastures in another party, she might consider Fianna Fáil with its new sense of freedom of conscience. – Is mise,
NOEL HUSTON,
The Pigeons,
Athlone,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – Miriam Lord (Dáil Sketch, July 11th) wonders, “Why, for example, the very public agonising of a Minister of State had been deemed of such major national significance that her every utterance was headline news and her ultimate decision was awaited with huge interest.”
Ms Lord cannot be unaware that Lucinda Creighton’s principled stand is relatively unprecedented among our politicians, who are more likely to rationalise their consciences than risk the possibility of being booted out of their party.
A significant example of principle before politics was set by Enda Kenny’s predecessor, Liam Cosgrave who, although taoiseach, crossed the floor of the Dáil to vote against his own minister for justice’s Control of Importation Sale and Manufacture of Contraceptives Bill, 1974. I do not recall him losing the Fine Gael party whip.
Although I do not necessarily share Ms Creighton’s views, were she to stand in my constituency she would certainly get my vote as an honest politician on whose pre-election promises one could rely. – Yours, etc,
JACK MORRISSEY,
Acorn Road,
Dublin 16.
Sir,– If there is any silver lining to be found in the black cloud that is this abortion legislation, then it is the prospect of not having to read much more of Miriam Lord’s tendentious commentary on the matter.
Like so many of her colleagues in the mainstream media, Ms Lord views the landscape through the wrong end of her left-liberal telescope and identifies the imminent passage of this Bill as yet another milestone on the long road to a left-liberal utopia.
Indeed, the sarcasm fairly drips off the page as Ms Lord wheels out the old reliable stereotypes to paint a picture of a handful of time-warped reactionaries kneeling on the footpath outside Leinster House, mouthing decades of the rosary and blocking progress, as usual. Your sketch-writer obviously wasn’t present outside Leinster House last Saturday when some 40, 000 citizens of this Republic rallied in defence of human life.
Any cause that could get even 400 on the streets must be worthy of respect, yet Ms Lord waves it all away as “a circus”, adding that “some of us had been left to wonder what the fuss had been all about”.
Maybe if she engaged her intellect in examining the real implications of this legislation for unborn children, rather than using it to fill half a page of The Irish Times with snide remarks about silly old pro-lifers, then she would have her answer.
But throughout this sorry saga the liberal-left has avoided meaningful discussion, knowing that if the debate was steered away from the easy path of straw-man vilification, what-aboutery and empty rhetoric, it risked revealing the fundamental nihilism at the core of a bankrupt and selfish ideology. – Yours, etc,
PHILIP DONNELLY,
Oatfield Park,
Clane,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – Michael O’Mara refers to Lucinda Creighton as “somebody with a conscience in an atheistic Government” (July 11th).
Is Mr O’Mara insinuating that atheists have no consciences? Or is he insinuating that the Government is atheistic because it supports the right to an abortion is certain situations? If so these are deeply flawed judgments. It is incorrect for someone to say that atheists have no consciences. It is equally incorrect to say that all atheists support abortion. This latter point has been made repeatedly in these pages but the proverbial penny seems to defy the gravitational drop.
In fact, we have a situation where there are practising Catholics supporting abortion (including the Taoiseach) and atheists and agnostics opposing it. To ignore this fact is judgmental, simplistic and plain wrong. – Yours, etc,
ROB SADLIER,
Stocking Avenue,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – I’m not surprised the Dáil failed to reach a decision on Thursday morning. It seems obscene that the Government is legislating for a Supreme Court decision made 20 years ago. The real catalyst for contemporary abortion debate in Ireland is the sad death of Savita Halapavanar. Will the Government wait another 20 years to protect women from unnecessary death, even when their unborn baby’s life is considered unviable?
In my opinion it’s far too late to legislate for the X case without offering the much changed electorate a voice. I respect politicians’ attempts to debate on behalf of the people, but views may be warped by unbalanced campaigning.
The legislation is stuck in the past. We need a referendum on the overall issue of abortion, protecting life in the womb, the rights of mothers-to-be and their families to have a say when faced with difficult and sometimes tragic decisions. – Yours, etc,
FINOLA REILLY,
Seaview Park,
Newport,
Co Mayo.