Sir, - Rev Kenneth Kearon's statement "that Ireland has one of the highest abortion rates in Europe" is utterly untrue. Even with the recent increases, it has one of the lowest, if not the lowest.
Ireland's 1997 abortion rate was 10.2 per cent of live births, compared with 26.48 per cent for England and Wales. The last figures published for abortions in EU member states, in Eurostat Demo- graphic Statistics 1993, showed 30.7 per cent for Denmark, 27.8 per cent for Italy, 24 per cent for the United Kingdom, 21.3 per cent for France and 9.9 per cent for Greece. Many countries were not reported, including Germany, which has about the same rate as France. In the rest of Europe, behind the former Iron Curtain, abortion is even more prevalent and, at times, there were more abortions than births.
Despite the Church of Ireland's official view of respecting unborn life, Canon Kearon spoke from a platform provided by the Irish Family Planning Association. According to its published views, this body is seeking two referendums, one to delete Article 40.3.3 and another to extinguish any residual protection afforded to the unborn child under any other constitutional provisions. Is this not strange company for a Church of Ireland divine? - Yours, etc., Rachel Keane,
Shanboley Road, Santry, Dublin 9.