How could anyone be ‘happy’ with abortion?

ONE of the saddest sentences I have ever read appeared in your issue of September 26.

It was in Catherine Webber’s opinion piece on the Family & Life pro-life advertisement, and it read: “The reality is there are women and couples who are happy with their decision to abort.” Happy! No regrets? After agreeing to the destruction of their own totally innocent child without judge or jury.

Short-term relief — perhaps. But happiness? I cannot get my head around it. I’m not surprised Ms Webber wants to keep emotion at bay.

Then there’s the rather odd statement from Sinéad Ahern of Choice Ireland stating that Family & Life are “using emotive advertising that will not only affect the rest of her (the mother’s) life, but the rest of the child’s life, too”.

It seems to me that the angle from which Ms Ahern and Ms Webber are coming will mean that the rest of the child’s life will often be very short.

Did you need to include the opinion piece? Wasn’t Ian Power’s news report sufficient? If an opinion was sought, why were both sides not given a chance?

I have noticed in recent years that the Irish Examiner is strongly inclined to favour the liberal angle. Is it out of conviction, or is it to curry favour with the trendy, younger set; I can’t imagine that it’s because unborn babies don’t buy newspapers.

Of course it is entirely a matter for you to decide what to publish but, as someone who has been reading your newspaper for more than 60 years, I wouldn’t like to think you are favouring (I won’t say promoting) an anti-God, pro-abortion agenda.

Finally, there seemed to be a hint of a suggestion — not spelled out — in Ian Power’s piece that cinemas should refuse to show the ads.

However, I must be mistaken as liberals would hardly be likely to advocate censorship.

Oliver Broderick

Montserrat House

Ashe Street

Youghal

Co Cork