Social reasons for early abortions

■ As a junior doctor, I had a gung-ho attitude to all persons being free to make decisions regarding their own body.

However, as I matured in my profession and encountered incidents and situations, my attitudes changed and I am less inclined to see matters as simple black-and-white decisions.

I have seen cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, miscarriages at a late stage in pregnancy, babies going to full term but with no chance of survival, and healthy babies born and cherished so much.

I have also attended to women post-termination who needed some healthcare.

Two cases stick out in my mind. One was an eastern European woman who had 12 terminations, and one was an Irish woman who had three such procedures.

These cases were in another jurisdiction to Ireland but such consultations could become more common in Irish general practice surgeries.

I am sure other doctors have similar stories.

Given that one in five babies is aborted in the UK, this figure must number about 100,000.

Currently there are approximately 70,000 births in Ireland, with 6,000 terminations.

Obviously, that is 60,000 potential births and citizens in a 10-year period.

In my experience, terminations in the first trimester (12 weeks) are undertaken for social reasons – loss of education possibilities, shame on the family name, or potential employment opportunities – and these women come from the more leafy areas of our cities.

In the poorer areas, women tend to use termination as a last option but then they may not have the chances that their wealthier sisters have.

First-trimester terminations are not a healthcare issue but are, in my opinion, a social decision.

Dr Patrick Troy Strawberry Beds, Dublin 20