Negative impact

Sir — I was born and raised in Dublin but I have lived my whole adult life in London so I have seen first-hand the negative impact that an abortion culture has on a society, and on women in particular.

For some years, I volunteered at Life, a charity offering help and support to pregnant women, and the stories I heard from these women convinced me that abortion was not in a woman’s best interest. The teenager, persuaded by all that a baby will ruin her life, the young woman whose boyfriend says he will leave if she does not get rid, the woman afraid of her abusive husband. None of these women wanted abortions yet they all said, “I feel I have no choice”.

Abortion is now promoted as the solution to a problem pregnancy. One in five pregnancies is ended, 97pc of abortions are done on dubious mental health grounds and we have abortion up to birth for disability even for babies with minor abnormalities.

Even before the country has voted, the government is ready to introduce abortion on demand to 12 weeks, abortion to 24 weeks if the woman’s physical or mental health is at serious risk (Head 4) and abortion up to birth if the baby has a life-limiting condition (Head 6). This means that Ireland would have even more liberal abortion laws than Britain.

Repealing the Eighth will open the door to the abortion industry and pave the way for abortion on demand in Ireland. The introduction of abortion will change the very fabric of Irish society.

Sadly, as a UK resident, I cannot vote, Anne Scanlan, London