IVO O'SULLIVAN,
Sir, - In a letter in your edition of June 3rd I expressed the opinion that it would be at the peril of political parties to accept the recommendation of the Equality Authority that legal recognition be given for gay and lesbian couples to adopt and foster children.
I said the majority of the people in this country would claim to be Christian, many of whom would subscribe to the Judaeo-Christian ethic and would reject this recommendation.
Tadhg O'Brien, president of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society at TCD, asked (June 7th) if I was "seriously suggesting that we should enact our laws in accordance with scripture?" My answer was no. But when Christian teaching accords with fundamental human rights, such as the right to life and the rights of the child, the answer was yes (June 18th).
Mr O'Brien (July 2nd) believes that this answer is inconsistent. I don't agree.
The letter to which I referred Mr O'Brien was that of S. O'Connor (June 4th), which cites some of the publications of research on child-bearing outside the traditional family, and on the harmful consequences. Overall conclusions of research of this kind do not, of course, rule out exceptions.
Mr O'Brien took "great issue" with my "insinuation that the non-nuclear family - including single mothers, divorced and widowed families - are against 'Judaeo-Christian' ethics." I made no such insinuation. Many of your readers will know of widowed mothers, mothers divorced against their will, and some single mothers, whose children have been brought up with much parental courage and sacrifice.
Mr O'Brien also took "great offence" at my "implication that there is something unChristian about being gay." With respect, I made no such implication, nor would I. However, it may be that Christian homosexuals, like the rest of us, through human weakness, do not always live up to objective Christian ideals. - Yours, etc.,
IVO O'SULLIVAN, Blackrock, Co Dublin.