Sir, - Martin Clynes' letter about in-vitro fertilisation (November 25th) recalls the theme of the correspondence of Peter de Rosa and myself in August, 1996, namely, the manner in which life is treated from the moment of conception. His excellent letter again raises this important issue, which has not been addressed despite all the debate on abortion over the past several years.
Could someone please respond to this query: If human life is considered as beginning at the moment of conception and abortion is considered murder, why do we not treat stillbirths and the results of miscarriages as we would fully-born children?
Miscarried babies and stillborn children are not given a full baptism and a full burial. Are we thereby acknowledging that they are indeed different? One the one hand, we call abortion murder. On the other, we unceremoniously dispose of early life when it ends naturally. We cannot have it both ways. - Yours, etc.,
From Kathleen Kelleher
Greystones, Co Wicklow.