Sir, – Alison Hackett argues that “an unborn child, before viability, should have no personal autonomy in the eyes of the law” (Letters, June 29th).
Viability is generally agreed to be 24 weeks, although babies are increasingly surviving from 22 weeks onwards. (In Roe v Wade in 1973 viability was considered to be 28 weeks, so it has reduced by a full month in the intervening 50 years due to advances in medicine).
By the 23rd week, an unborn child has its own fingerprints and footprints, toenails, its own eyebrows and hair, and can hear sounds. In the case of female unborn children, their uterus has begun to develop by this point. How can anyone argue that something so distinctly human should have no legal rights whatsoever?
She also makes a distinction between a “wanted” child and an “unwanted” child at 24 weeks, as if being wanted or not should be the measure by which we decide that an unborn child is a person or not.
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These arbitrary lines exist only to salve the consciences of people who know in their hearts that there is something deeply wrong about abortion, and it is the obvious injustice of thee positions that has spurred the huge pro-life revival in the United States. – Yours, etc,
SARAH-ANNE CLEARY,
Strokestown,
Co Roscommon.