Abortion concerns two lives, not one

Sir — Pat Daly (Letters, Sunday Independent, July 24) refers to the “hypocrisy” associated with much of the rhetoric coming from the anti-abortion lobby and claims there was no ‘hullabaloo’ about the invasion of Iraq.

As one who was among the more than 100,000 who marched in Dublin in opposition to the action of George W Bush and Tony Blair and who opposes the death penalty and the deliberate killing of babies in the womb through abortion, I take exception to his claim of hypocrisy.

Mr Daly considers opposition to abortion to be based on religious grounds. This is first of all a human right and his claim that the taking of life has been around on a grand scale since time immemorial does nothing to make it acceptable. There are many people who do not believe in God but who do not support abortion or the death penalty.

Perhaps he could give the issue ‘a bit more balance’ by accepting that there are two lives involved where abortion is concerned — the baby and the mother.

The 8th amendment to the Constitution seeks to protect both. What is objectionable about that? Surely all who are concerned about human rights are interested in the protection of life, not its destruction?

It is a wonderful privilege to give life and, no matter how short or how long, it is vital that it is respected and cherished. Surely we in Ireland will continue to do so and especially the most vulnerable of all, the baby in the womb. Mary Stewart Donegal Town