Sir, - Last May the Adelaide Hospital Society proposed the legalisation of abortion (spuriously, "in certain circumstances") and the establishment of abortion clinics.
A few days later, some 50 members of Youth Defence held a protest picket outside the Adelaide Hospital. Chanting took place for some 35 minutes. Gardai arrived to make arrests. According to evidence, one nine-and-a-half-stone male protester was "restrained" by two gardai by clamping his head to the bonnet of a car, apparently banging his head in the process. Quite apart from the acute discomfort and pain this must have caused him, it gave rise to considerable distress to those around him. Last week, in a trial lasting the equivalent of five full days, and involving at least 16 gardai, the protesters were found guilty of not showing respect for the Public Order Act. This law was designed to prohibit protest of any sort, though with antiabortion protest principally in mind.
The judge dismissed defence counsel's query regarding binding certain gardai to the peace, on the grounds that they were in uniform. He did not discuss whether or not they had acted properly in the course of their duties.
The Green Paper on abortion is due to be published shortly. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the robust treatment on the streets, and later in the courts, is designed to try and get the only effective opposition to abortion out of the way, so that the Green Paper can give the green light, without too much ado. - Yours, etc., Donal O'Driscoll,
Dargle Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin.