Madam, - The Irish Family Planning Association is a national charity established to promote reproductive and sexual health and to seek to make family planning information and services available. I believe the IFPA makes a positive contribution in these regards. However, the alarming increase in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases indicates that a lot more work needs to be done.
I therefore find it unhelpful that the IFPA should be focusing on a campaign to achieve legal abortion in the State (The Irish Times, August 10th). At the very least, abortion is a highly controversial and divisive moral issue, involving competing sets of human rights that have already been the subject of national referendums. I believe the IFPA should focus on its core issues. Abortion activists should establish a separate organisation to pursue their aims.
I also believe that abortion activists and pro-life activists should declare such activism when putting themselves forward for public office. - Yours, etc,
Dr LF LACEY, Skerries, Co Dublin.