Madam, - Louise Caffrey of Choice Ireland (July 12th) writes that Prof David Fergusson, in his longitudinal study of New Zealand women which showed that abortion increased the risk of subsequent psychiatric disorder, did not control for prior mental health problems. This is completely incorrect since, by his own admission as a pro-choice advocate, he set out to confirm that psychiatric disorders post abortion were linked to the person's prior psychiatric history and not to the abortion.
To his own surprise, he found that even after controlling for prior mental health and childhood adversity confounders, the link between abortion and mental health problems remained. He then carried out a further predictive analysis and, again controlling for confounders, found that abortion caused the mental health problems.
Ms Caffrey states that in 2005 the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a consensus statement concerning the absence of a causal link between "clinically relevant distress and abortion in women". However, that body was singled out for particular criticism in the Fergusson paper and one month after its publication the APA removed all comments from its website concerning the psychological safety or otherwise of abortion. It also voted to establish a working group to examine this issue and is to report in 2008.
Finally, Ms Caffrey states that abortion in New Zealand is available where the mental health of the woman is at risk. However, the act does not contain any definition of mental health, nor is a psychiatrist required to vouch for its presence or risk, an issue that is currently before the courts. There is therefore a real possibility that distress is erroneously conflated with mental illness. In this regard it resembles the British abortion act. Moreover, the abortion rate in New Zealand (20 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44) is even higher than the rate in England and Wales (18.3 per 1,000), where abortion on demand operates de facto. All this suggests that the law in New Zealand is very liberal law indeed.
I agree with Ms Caffrey that any debate about abortion should be honest and factual. It is not advanced by incorrectly reporting scientific data or by ignoring the increasing body of international evidence concerning the adverse consequences of abortion. - Yours, etc,
PATRICIA CASEY,
Professor of Psychiatry, UCD,
Consultant Psychiatrist,
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital,
Dublin 7.
Madam, - Louise Caffrey of Choice Ireland (July 12th) suggests a real and honest debate on the abortion topic should be based on fact. It is a matter of fact that all human life begins at the moment of conception. Human life should ideally end on this earth with natural death.
I think it is imperative that as a sovereign society we strive to maintain a basic respect for the preciousness of all human life.
When individuals advocate for legal abortion rights they qualify their respect for human life. They may respect some human life but not all of it. Individuals who advocate legal abortion rights cannot argue logically, or indeed morally, that they respect all human life. - Yours, etc,
MARTIN J TIERNEY,
Marlborough Road,
Glenageary, Co Dublin.