Pro-life supporters not lacking in compassion

I hope you will permit me to comment on Michael Clifford’s column (Irish Examiner, Apr 21).

He seems to view the attitude of pro-life people to be religiously-inspired, lacking in compassion and extreme.

Of course, just like the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s concern for the poor, some people’s regard for unborn life may be religiously motivated; however, unlike contraception, divorce and homosexuality, it is not a specifically religious issue, though pro-abortion supporters often seek to dismiss it in this way. From a scientific point of view, human life is a continuum from conception to death. It seems to me that, as we have come to value even the life of a convicted multiple murderer, surely we should value the life of an innocent unborn child.

I am sure that Mr Clifford would be horrified — as I would — if the rapist father of an unborn baby were to be executed.

Why then is he prepared to advocate this fate for the innocent unborn child? Compassion surely applies to both mother and baby.

Mr Clifford makes the extraordinary statement that “among the anti-abortion lobby, precious few of them — with a few exceptions — give any thought of advocating for the most vulnerable once they are born.” I would love to see his evidence for this. I don’t have any statistics but I feel I am on solid ground in stating that huge numbers of devoted charity workers are pro-life in the sense that he deplores. And, in my experience, these people do not lack compassion. However, as the saying goes: hard cases make bad law, and it seems to me that the undoubtedly very sad cases he mentions are being used as a kind of emotional blackmail.

From my point of view, Mr Clifford’s views seem to be at least sympathetic to “abortion on demand” though he finds this phrase offensive.

Oliver Broderick

Ashe St

Youghal

Co Cork