Madam, - Whatever the glitch that caused a a week-old Opinion page be republished in your edition of March 15th, the message of Breda O'Brien's piece on the battle of the sexes was worth repeating.
Human beings are people first and then girls or boys, men or women, husbands or wives, mothers or fathers, grandmothers or grandfathers.
One encouraging feature of the sex war has been the number of women who, like Ms O'Brien, bring refreshing common sense to the subject.
The British writer Melanie Phillips, commenting on why marriage, such a fundamental element of society, has got into such difficulties, argues that while the pursuit nowadays of individual happiness at all costs has swept aside all constraints in favour of hedonism and licence, the contract of marriage establishes a secure basis for kinship by fusing responsibilities and self-gratification for both sexes through the common project of producing and rearing children.
No amount of bitter gender hostility will overcome that natural and fulfilling project. - Yours, etc.,
SHANE O'CONNOR,
Green Road,
Newbridge,
Co Kildare.