Sir, - Father Sean Fagan (The Irish Times, December 15th) says: "The claim that abortion is murder is simply not true".
The pastoral letter "Human Life Is Sacred", issued by the late Cardinal Conway and Archbishops Ryan, Cunnane and Morris in May 1975, stated: "The earliest Christian writers had no hesitation in calling abortion murder, no matter at what stage of the pregnancy it was performed." (Par. 18).
They then went on to quote Tertullian (2nd century), who said: "To prevent birth is anticipated murder; it makes little difference whether one destroys a life already born or does away with it in its nascent stage. The one who is to become a man is already a man."
When Father Fagan urges us to assimilate and make our own the transcendental precepts - be attentive; be intelligent; be reasonable; be responsible - he forgets to tell us to be in love, first of all, with human life from the first moment of conception. No one can be attentive, intelligent, reasonable and responsible unless they are first permitted to be born. - Yours, etc.,
Inch, Killeagh, Co Cork.