Sir, - It is a pity that Senator Mary Henry (March 26th) continues to blur the distinction between necessary medical treatments in pregnancy, which sometimes regrettably results in the unsought death of the unborn baby, and induced abortion, where the intent of the procedure is to directly target the life of the unborn and where the survival of the child would constitute a failure of the procedure. Both the Medical Council and Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists expressed these logical distinctions with clarity in their recent evidence to the Oireachtas hearings. If we are to build a more caring and life-affirming society, the challenge for our politicians is to transpose these clear principles into law. In doing so, we would also be safeguarding our record as world leaders in the field of maternal care. - Yours, etc.,
Cora Sherlock, Wilton Place, Dublin 2.