Madam, - Further to Joseph Powderly's article of August 28th, I also write in support of the policy ratified recently by Amnesty International in Mexico City supporting the right of women to sexual and reproductive integrity in the face of grave human rights abuses.
I applaud Amnesty for finally taking this step to bring itself into line with international law and the thinking of the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
I am, however, confounded to learn that the Irish section has decided effectively to opt out of the policy and not participate in abortion-related campaigns.
Is it the Irish section's policy to hold a deviant position on this issue? Has this been approved by its membership? How does the section expect to have any moral credibility when it talks about women's rights and stopping violence against women if it is effectively going to keep quiet about how a woman might deal with a most heinous human rights violation?
I do recognise that abortion is a contentious issue in Ireland, but is Amnesty not supposed to be above party politics - a human rights organisation that does not bow down to political pressure be it from recognised political parties or the church? I would appreciate confirmation of what Amnesty's Irish section's policy is - or, perhaps, more pertinently, is not.
- Yours, etc,
EÓIN FARRELLY, Rathgar Road, Dublin 6.