One way Sabina Higgins might get around presidential constraints...

IT’S impossible to guess how Sabina Higgins feels about the reaction to her well-meaning missive pleading for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Amid calls that the President clarify his position regarding her heartfelt letter, which was published on his website and then rapidly taken down, Sabina has won kudos from the Kremlin, a damning verdict from a Ukrainian MP about her being ‘underinformed’, and several verbal tickings-off from Irish political figures.

But Sabina is nothing if not fearless and outspoken, with a track record in anti-war activism that makes her different from previous presidential spouses. She might not bend easily to demands that she help shore up the country’s reputation in Ukrainian eyes.

She visited her great friend Margaretta D’Arcy in prison after she was jailed for damaging US planes that landed in Shannon. While her loyalty to her pal was admired, her perceived stand against American militarism did not sit well in a country that depends on the US for security.

The visit took place years before her husband had set his sights on the presidency but, even in the Áras, Sabina didn’t hesitate to give her thoughts on abortion.

During a Trinity College debate, she described Irish abortion law as ‘outrages against women and outrages against the world and nature’. While the referendum two years later showed most of the country was in tune with her, pro-life groups were incensed, accusing her of abuse of privilege.

There are limits on what Sabina Higgins, like all presidential spouses, can say. The only way for this passionate woman to get around that would be to run for election. Perhaps she should.