Sir, – William Binchy’s article (Opinion, January 19th) repeats the argument that Ireland is one of the safest places in the world for pregnancy, and implies that this is somehow related to the legal status of abortion in this state.
Prof Binchy’s campaign group’s website cites a 2010 WHO/UN report for this claim. Looking at the statistics directly, one can see that Ireland was the safest place to have a child in 2005. In 2008 (the latest available statistics), it was the second safest after Greece, which allows for “abortion on demand” up to 12 weeks after conception, and up to 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.
Indeed, aside from Ireland, the top 10 countries for maternal safety all allow for “abortion on demand”, and respect the right of the mother to choose. Surely this suggests that maternal safety in Ireland has less to do with abortion law, and much more to do with the high quality of care provided by healthcare providers. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – While I agree with much of the sentiment of William Binchy’s piece on abortion (Opinion, January 19th), he is mistaken when he says the consequence of legislating in line with the X-case would involve “introducing into our hospitals an abortion regime, requiring abortion at all stages of pregnancy up to birth”.
The reason he is mistaken is that the test set out by the chief justice in the X-case, that abortion be the only way of avoiding a threat to the life of the mother cannot be satisfied by anyone in the real world.
It had been thought that a threat of suicide would satisfy that test, but the statement in 2002 by Prof Anthony Clare, then head of the TCD school of psychiatry along with his UCD counterpart that abortion is never the only way to avoid a threat of suicide in a pregnant woman, removed any possibility that the X-case could be legitimately used to justify the provision of abortion in Ireland. The same would apply to any other condition.
It would have to be shown that there is no other way of avoiding the risk to the life of the mother, and it is yet to be shown that such a condition exists. In conclusion the test in the X case cannot be satisfied in the real world, and the real legislators should not be introducing laws for imaginary scenarios. – Is mise,
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