Worrying signal on abortion

■ The Oireachtas committee has agreed that the Eighth Amendment should not be retained in full even though this is the provision in our Constitution that protects the right to life of the unborn.

Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell believes this decision is a step in the right direction. Heaven’s above! How could a decision to end the human rights of a whole section of our society ever be a step in the right direction? And speaking of human rights, what about the right to life of the unborn? Is the unborn baby to be denied the right to life by virtue of the environment she is in, her level of dependency, her disability or even her gender?

Fianna Fáil TD Lisa Chambers said the decision sent a signal that the status quo was no longer acceptable. I agree with Ms Chambers, it does send a signal. A very worrying and gravely flawed signal that suggests unborn babies are somehow lesser human beings. Gosh, how we’ve fallen from the resolve of our forefathers to cherish all the nation’s children equally!

Undeniably, we all know women who find themselves in desperate situations and we as a nation need to offer positive alternatives to the atrocity of abortion.

Indeed, we can take our lead from organisations such as Every Life Counts, One Day More, Gianna Care, Anew and Cura, organisations committed to respecting and protecting the right to life of the mother and baby alike.

The Irish people will have their say and when they do I hope they remember that every human life is invaluable and so protect the right to life of both mother and baby.

Louise Clara

Leitrim Village