Sir, – Jim O’Sullivan claims (May 18th) that testimonials at recent Oireachtas hearings prove abortion induces mental illnesses “in many cases”. They prove nothing of the sort. Women Hurt, who provided the testimonials, is a small group which consists only of women who regret their abortions. They represent a tiny proportion of women in Ireland.
Their inclusion in the hearings as the only women speaking about their experience of mental health post-abortion gives a lopsided perspective on the effects of abortion. It “proves” nothing except there are those who apparently do not wish to hear from women who felt relief and/or whose mental well-being was aided by abortion. They may not even realise they exist.
I propose a new group of women be brought together, for invitation to the hearings. It could include some of the 4,000 who have to “travel” annually, or the hundreds who can’t or won’t go through that farce and could now face 14 years in prison.
It could be called “Women Hurt (but only by Ireland’s ridiculous abortion regime)”. – Yours, etc,
CIARA GALVIN,
The Grove,
Celbridge, Co Kildare.
Sir, – During five years postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynaecology in England, my chiefs regularly reminded me that pregnant women did not commit suicide. This was borne out in my subsequent career. As a consultant obstetrician / gynaecologist, initially at the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin and thereafter at University Hospital, Galway, with responsibility for almost 100,000 confinements, I did not encounter a single case of suicide.
In 1969 the state of California passed the Therapeutic Abortion Act which permitted abortion in the case of serious mental ill-health of the mother. The need for abortion had to be certified, independently, by two registered medical practitioners, or where the pregnancy was more than 12 weeks, by three such doctors. So, what happened?
One year later, 63,782 abortions had been sanctioned and 61, 572 performed – 98.12 per cent under the mental health provision. Reflecting on the flood of abortions, the Supreme Court of California expressed concern that the majority had been carried, most likely, for social reasons.
Is this what we would wish to see happen in Ireland? I sincerely hope not. Hence I appeal to our legislature to take the Californian experience on board. If, instead of strengthening the Medical Council Guidelines, we are to have legislation, I would urge that they exclude abortion for suicide ideation from the proposed legislation. – Yours, etc,
EAMON O’DWYER,
Prof Emeritus of
Gynaecology & Obstetrics,
NUI, Galway,
Lower Taylor’s Hill, Galway.
Sir, – The current proposed criminalisation of women who make a difficult choice for themselves is mysogynistic and archaic. As a woman, I am nervous to become pregnant in a country that deems the life of an embryo as equivalent to that of a conscious, sentient woman with hopes and dreams.
If I was in trouble during pregnancy, I, and those who love me would want me to be able to request an abortion. As for this State forcing victims of rape to support a foetus against their will, we are witnessing a frightening intrusion of this State in the bodily integrity of a person.
The woman’s womb is hers and hers alone, the choice whether to support the development of a foetus must be hers alone. Safe abortion has been made legal in most countries because of the realisation that abortion has existed since human beings have, and women will resort to unsafe, illegal abortions by unqualified persons if they have no other options.
There should be no inquisition for suicidal woman; no possibility for forced detention for suicidal women; no 14-year prison sentence for a young rape victim who procures an abortion pill online; safe abortion for rape victims, women carrying an inviolable foetus and any woman who requests a safe abortion. This is the individual woman’s choice. The foetus is feeding off her body, and cannot survive without her. It’s that woman’s choice, not Enda Kenny’s, not Lucinda Creighton’s decision, not the Catholic Church’s decision, nor anyone else’s.
Most women will never consider an abortion, but we have to consider those women for whom pregnancy is a crisis, along with the people who love them. A woman is not an incubator, and should not be forced carry a body- and mind- changing foetus against her will. Why are we not getting a referendum? – Yours, etc,
MAEVE QUIGLEY,
Upper Leeson Street,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Dr Clara Fischer (Opinion, May 16th) seems to think those who oppose abortion are modern-day paternalistic philosophers who have been unduly affected by Plato. Not so.
The Hippocratic oath has been around for over 2,500 years and clearly opposes abortion. Its age-old philosophy is very simple – a belief that it is wrong to do harm and deny other human beings the right to life.
Most people are pro-choice, but we need to look at the choices being made. Those who do not wish to have a baby can choose to avoid sex or choose to avail of contraception or choose to avoid losing their choice through intoxication or choose to place a baby for adoption.
I don’t know of any paternalist who is denying women the right to act for themselves in any of these ways.
Why then does abortion need to be made available as a fifth choice for those who have refused to accept any of the other choices?
Why not accept responsibility for our own actions and realise that the problem is with us rather than with Plato. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS O’CALLAGHAN,
Bullock Park, Carlow.
Sir, – I am fed up with the spin the Taoiseach is putting on the abortion Bill – that the legislation will make pregnant women in Ireland safer. Is this perhaps to detract attention from the crippling effects that endless budget cuts and resulting staff shortages have put on our hospitals and health system?
I have had three children over the past decade in Irish maternity hospitals and I have always been absolutely confident that the doctors, midwives and other hospital staff would act in both my and my unborn children’s very best interest. However, on this my fourth pregnancy, I am more concerned than I have ever been before. It has been reported that Irish obstetricians are responsible for the delivery of twice the number of babies as their British counterparts and, despite their undoubted goodwill, staff and resources are being pushed to breaking-point. The consequence of this, as was so tragically seen in the case of Savita Halappanavar, is unnecessary deaths as a result of “medical misadventure”. I would ask the Taoiseach to forget about his politically expedient abortion legislation and to address the real problems in the Irish health system. – Yours, etc,
JOANNA O’RIORDAN,
Trees Road,
Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.
Sir, – In “Fine Gael TDs targeted in divisive campaign” (Home News, May 15th) the current anti-abortion lobbying of Dáil members is described as “part of the most intense lobbying campaign for a generation”. A Dublin TD characterised it as “extremely organised and highly orchestrated”. But by whom?
Last winter I complained to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner about several unsolicited phone calls containing recorded anti-abortion messages about the Savita Halappanavar case. These messages contravene the law that prohibits direct marketing to people like me who have registered to opt out of them through the National Directory Data Base. The commissioner’s office informed me that mine was one of numerous complaints and that an investigation would be launched to establish the source of the calls with a view to prosecution.
At the conclusion of its investigation, the office established, through “significant efforts,” that the calls were “not made from within Ireland or the EU, but rather from the United States of America”. US authorities further investigated the matter and informed Irish officials that they could do nothing as the phone call campaign did not contravene US law. The office concluded that regrettably “there is no scope for the law enforcement authorities in Ireland to take any action against the perpetrators”. This is a worrying situation. Either the Irish anti-abortion lobbyists circumvented Irish law, or anonymous US groups who have no standing in the matter are interfering in Irish internal affairs, or both. In future, can we expect that national elections and referendum campaigns will be similarly affected? – Yours, etc,
EILEEN KANE
Kilcolgan, Co Galway.