LOUISE S. MCELDUFF,
Madam, - Why is the "morning-after pill" not obtainable over a pharmacist's counter? On an October Sunday, taking a bus and subsequent taxi in an all-day downpour, I had first to visit an emergency doctor in a Dublin hospital to secure a prescription which I then took to a nearby chemist. Unfortunately, the chemist had no contraceptive pills in stock - an incredible discovery. After waiting for a bus that seemed to be beyond time, I got another taxi to another chemist who was able to fulfil my prescription request.
Apart from the considerable expense involved in all this, I felt extremely bad about having to take up this doctor's time. However, there were no alternative venues open to me on a Sunday. Above all lies a central issue: women's rights are human rights. Ireland needs to emerge from its dark cave and begin to recognise this. - Yours, etc.,
LOUISE S. MCELDUFF, Chapel Manor, Chapelizod, Dublin 20.