Sir, - Peter de Rosa (May 30th), criticising Bishop Finnegan's reference to abortion as a form of capital punishment, says the bishop is implicitly calling women who have had abortion "murderers". He goes on to quote some leading authorities in the Church who have had held in the past that "ensoulment does not begin at conception".
It is most unfair to state that Bishop Finnegan is suggesting that the women who have had abortions are "murderers". Far greater guilt on this issue lies with those who urge them to have abortion and with the State that makes it available for them.
The Church has always condemned the taking of human life from the moment of conception irrespective of any issue of "ensoulment". With the increased knowledge available today about the procreative process and the growth of human life in the womb, it is clear that a human being exists from the moment of conception. It would be a sham for any state to hold a referendum on getting rid of capital punishment if it ignores the big threat that hangs over the child in the womb, the most innocent of all human beings. - Yours, etc.,
Rev Michael Manning, Millstreet, Co Cork.