Fertility and science are missing from the debates

Dear Sir,

Many of the amendment anecdotes and statistics are historical. But that was then and this is now.

Eighth Amendment debate should be a debate for 2018. Two major factors are missing in the 2018 debate.

The first is the control of fertility and the second is science and technology.

In the first factor, contraception is now widely available, more so than ever before. Women, and men, now have control of pregnancy. There is absolutely no need to consider abortion as a way to deal with unplanned pregnancies.

Women today are not victims, they are in complete control of their fertility. They can decide whether or not to become pregnant.

It is an honour and a privilege to be part of the life continuum.

That is the real power of women and that power should be cherished.

In the second factor, science and technology now show us early life in great detail.

There is no doubt that the continuum of life begins at conception. Just look at IVF. The life continuum begins when the egg and sperm are put together.

We should treat this early life in the same way that we treat end of life, with care and respect.

We take care of our frail and elderly, we do not dispose of them in their weakness.

The Eighth Amendment protects early life and so should we.

Women, and men, controlling their fertility is the way to do it.

Unplanned pregnancies begin with the control of fertility.

It’s really very simple. Yours faithfully, Kathleen Kelleher.