Can we stand firm on abortion ban?

Sir — I was unable to attend the weekend’s Pro-Life event in Dublin, so can I offer my thoughts in a letter instead?

The United Nations — an organisation replete with faults and failings of its own — has recently pronounced that Ireland’s current ban on abortion is “cruel, inhuman and degrading” to women, because it obliges them to travel abroad for terminations.

While I understand from personal experience the stress of crisis pregnancy, surely the deeper cruelty, inhumanity and degradation that is the deliberate killing of defenceless pre-born human beings (whether disabled or not) is greater?

No one with any empathy would pull the wings off a butterfly — so why would we a condone this and call ourselves civilised?

I understand that in more advanced pregnancies no thought is given to pain relief other than for the mother. Abortion may be widespread but it is also irresponsible, unnatural and barbaric.

I hope that Ireland will not bend to a perceived infallibility of the United Nations. Let us remember that the United States-led sanctions against Iraq (to name but one humanitarian disaster overseen by this organisation) caused the cruel, inhuman and unnecessary deaths of roughly 500,000 Iraqi infants.

Our society has made many mistakes in the past — but I hope that Ireland will stand firm and resolute in its empathy for the unborn and compassionate protection and support of women in unplanned pregnancies. Rosie Cargin Kinsale, Co Cork