Right to life the issue — not right to travel

IT is regrettable that the High Court, in its ruling in the ‘D’ case, failed to give due consideration to the right to life of the unborn child.

The judge’s assertion that the case was not about abortion, but about the right to travel is irrelevant. This case was about the rights of two minors, one a 17-year-old girl, the other her disabled, unborn child.

All born and unborn children, with or without a disability, have basic rights, such as the right to life. Those who sometimes put forward abortion as the solution to a problem fail to recognise the fact that we are dealing with two lives, that of the mother and that of her innocent, unborn child whose life is ended by abortion.

The compassionate response to this situation would have been to ensure that every possible support be put in place to help this mother through her pregnancy and offer every possible medical assistance to both mother and child after the birth.

While the people have enshrined the right to life of the unborn child in the constitution, the courts have failed to vindicate this right.

If we want to build a compassionate society, we must provide genuine life-enhancing support to women in crisis pregnancy which respects the right to life of mother and child.

Margaret Desbonnet

Roscam

Galway