Sir, – You published the results of the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll (Home News, June 13th) with regard to the abortion legislation now being debated.
The professionals at the forefront of this debate are the doctors and nurses who care for women and families in all sorts of pregnancy situations. Their response to this legislation has been a resounding rejection of the proposed legislation.
Recently the groups representing by far the largest group of doctors in the country met: on April 5th at their annual conference the IMO (Irish Medical Organisation) doctors rejected a motion supporting regulation of abortion in line with the X case. On May13th at the conference of the ICGP (Irish College of General Practitioners), doctors voted against a motion that the ICGP support the Government’s legislation giving effect to the X case.
On April 25th, a statement on behalf of psychiatrists was delivered to Leinster House: an overwhelming 90 per cent of respondents signed that legislation which would allow for abortion as a treatment for the threat of suicide has no basis in medical evidence. There are 350 psychiatrists in the country; 302 were contacted and of these 14 disagreed with the statement, while 113 agreed.
As stated by Dr Sam Coulter-Smith, the position of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (of the RCPI) is that as obstetricians are expected to practise evidence-based interventions there is a dilemma created for the profession because of the lack of evidence to support termination of pregnancy as a treatment for a patient at risk of committing suicide.
It is honest to debate whether we should provide legal abortion services for women in this country as a right in our society but to recognise that the reasons for doing so are overwhelmingly social. The problem with the present debate is the dishonesty of its premise – that it is about “saving the lives of women”. How can a maternal mortality rate that approaches zero in statistical terms be improved upon? Women in Ireland are extremely happy with their maternity and neonatal care. Doctors understand fully the various issues involved in the present abortion debate and have strongly rejected the proposed legislation especially where it involves the right to a termination of pregnancy because of the risk of suicide.
Why is the Government not listening ? Perhaps it prefers to reassure itself that it is doing the right thing by paying attention to opinion poll figures from The Irish Times instead of acting in the true interests of society. – Yours, etc,
Dr THERESE BOYLE, GP,
Dochas Centre
North Circular Road,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – I feel those sending death threats may have trouble defending their “protect the sanctity of life” stance. Can’t beat that Irish irony. – Yours, etc,
Dr MAEVE KILRANE,
Barlow Moor Road,
Didsbury,
Manchester, England.
Sir, – Fionola Meredith (Opinion, June 14th) claims “the militant anti-abortion lobby” has contempt for women. This is rather strange given that those who are anti-abortion are doing their utmost to protect babies in the womb, at least half of which are female. I cannot understand the silence from women’s groups regarding the vast number of female babies aborted – not only in China and India. Now you would think that was a cause worthy of support and it certainly does involve “valuing female flesh”. – Yours, etc,
MARY STEWART,
Ardeskin, Donegal.