Not everyone who avails of surrogacy is rolling in cash

I WAS taken aback and disappointed by the tone and content of Brenda Power’s article (Mail) about surrogacy.

Many people who can’t have children feel a sense of loss that can be overwhelming. They will have tried every approach that is humanly possible before going down the surrogacy route.

Indeed, they will all testify to the fact that the love and joy they feel when their surrogate baby arrives is indescribable, comparable only to the depth of their gratitude to the surrogate mother.

I was annoyed by the suggestion that all couples who go down the surrogacy route must be rich and privileged. This has to be a very sweeping generalisation. Some may well be, but I believe the majority of Irish couples, for instance, will already have spent every penny on expensive tests and several rounds of IVF.

Surrogacy is a highly contentious and emotional issue, but never a black-and-white one.

JOAN GRENNAN, Sligo.

... I NOTE Independent senator Sharon Keogan has resigned from the Oireachtas Children’s Committee, citing what she called an unsafe working environment. The issue for Senator Keogan arose recently at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on International Surrogacy.

The raison d’etre of such a committee is not so much to express one’s opinion but to listen to the experience of others in a fair and equitable manner. Senator Keogan was asked to leave the committee after telling same-sex couples and people with fertility problems appearing before the committee that she did not believe it was everyone’s right to have a child.

Respectfully, I have to ask: who assigned her the role of moral arbitrator in such delicate issues? It seems she is not suited to being on such a committee.

JOHN O’BRIEN, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

Simpler times

I SHARE the dream of a world without mobile phones (Letters).

I fondly recall the time before social media, online banking, the internet, 24-hour news, computers, video recorders, fax machines, electronic calculators and rock ’n’ roll when life was uncomplicated.

However, excepting Bill Haley and Elvis, the arrival of innovations caused stress, annoyance and fatigue. At no time did I ever wish for a portable gizmo that meant I was contactable instantly by anyone on the planet. Smoke signals suited me just fine.

HUW BEYNON, by email.

New commandments

NOW that Elon Musk has decided to buy Twitter and become the great supporter of free speech, there may be some other changes. Here’s an update of the rules...

1. I am Elon Musk; thou will only use Twitter and definitely not Trump’s version ‘Truth Social’.

2. Thou may not create memes using my image nor will thou forward on other people’s memes.

3. The weekend is for family time or football and not for googling.

4. Thou shalt honour your father and mother for they are probably still paying for your internet access.

5. Thou shalt not turn off the internet access nor change the password.

6. Though shalt not visit the apparently thousands of sites that show misbehaving adults as they may have been infected by viruses – both the participants and the websites.

7. Thou shalt not visit The Pirate Bay.

8. Thou shalt not spread fake news nor ex-leaders’ rantings.

9. Thou shalt not use the web to stalk or harass anyone nor see what has happened to ex-lovers.

10. Thou shalt not buy from online market sites unless the seller can prove it exists, works and is actually theirs.

A quick check reveals several personal failures from this list.

DENNIS FITZGERALD,

Melbourne, Australia.