A chara, – Isn’t it curious that a successful campaign to “repeal the Eighth” in the upcoming referendum, seeking to give women the “right to choose”, will actually return the power to arbitrate in the matter straight back into the hands of two significantly male-dominated organs of State, the legislature and judiciary. – Is mise,
FRANCES THOMAS,
Clontarf, Dublin 3.
Sir, – The anti-abortion brigade trot out a fair amount of nonsense.
To read some of the stuff on this page one could imagine that abortion will be compulsory, rather than that those who wish to avail of the operation can do so and those who do not need not.
We are also told it will lead to abortion on demand, which it certainly will, time-limited, for those who wish to demand it.
As of now, Irish women are demanding abortion every day of the week and have done so for years – it’s just that they have to travel to demand it. – Yours, etc,
JAMES MORAN,
Bunclody, Co Wexford.
Sir, – I was struck by the fact that Minister for Children Katherine Zappone (Opinion, March 22nd) has followed in the footsteps of Prof Fiona de Londras and Prof Ivana Bacik by referring in the pages of this newspaper to the clinical term “foetal life” to describe what, up till very recently, everybody would have referred to as a baby.
I was immediately reminded of other examples of distancing language like “collateral damage” and “friendly fire” which are used to encourage people to gloss over what is being described so as not to linger on an unpalatable truth that the users don’t want you to think about. In this case, the ending of the lives of innocent human beings. – Yours, etc,
THERESA JOHNSTON,
Sligo.
Sir, – Dervla McNeice (Letters, March 23rd) takes issue with the facts concerning Down syndrome and abortion. These are thoroughly investigated in the BBC documentary A World Without Down's Syndrome.
An NHS factsheet on the NIPT test for Down Syndroms states that “cell-free fetal DNA is first detectable from about four to five weeks’ gestation and reaches the required level needed to test for Down syndrome by 10 weeks’ gestation in most pregnancies”. It goes on to say “NIPT detects around 98 per cent of all babies with Down, Edwards and Patau syndromes”. The intent of this testing is also very clear.
It is a matter of public record that 83 unborn Irish babies with Down’s syndrome have been aborted in the last two years, so there are legitimate grounds for public concern. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS O’CALLAGHAN,
Carlow.
Sir, – Simon Coveney’s U-turn on abortion in the space of three weeks is precisely the reason why people should take any utterances from politicians on this issue with a pinch of salt. Does Mr Coveney honestly expect us to believe him now, considering his recent opposition to abortion on demand up to 12 weeks gestation?
The reality is that once constitutional protection for unborn babies is removed it’s a lottery as to what abortion regime will follow, more so because of the arithmetic of this minority government.
While pro-choice groups have welcomed his about-turn, it is pro-life groups who should take most comfortable from this, as it exposes the danger of giving politicians exclusive powers over unborn babies. – Yours, etc,
TOMMY RODDY,
Galway.
Sir, – The logical conclusion for the 32 TDs who voted against the rest of the electorate having a say one way or the other on the forthcoming referendum is for them to absent themselves from having any hand, act or part in a campaign they didn’t want in the first place. They can’t have it both ways. – Yours, etc,
FRANK GREENE,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Democracy gives the people the choice to speak and vote on contentious issues. The Eighth Amendment – my time, my life, my future, my choice! – is one such issue. My democratic choice, as a male octogenarian, would be to leave the decision on this issue to the women of Ireland. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM SHORTLAND,
Blessington Co Wicklow.