Right to life is fundamental to all other rights

LOUISE CAFFREY, while demanding the legislation of abortion, says she shares the pro-life desire to reduce its rate of incidence (Letters, December 29).

However, there is a major difference. Her sole concern is to spare the mother the ordeal. Not once does she even acknowledge the actual existence of an unborn human life. Hence her implicit denial of reality.

Ms Caffrey claims there is a right to choose abortion — yet a natural hierarchy of human rights exists. Simply, some are more important than others. The right to life remains the most fundamental for, without it, all other rights are rendered redundant. It is selfish of those of us who were born to deny the same inalienable right to others. If natural justice is indivisible, then human rights are universal.

They belong to everybody or to nobody.

JA Barnwell

5 St Patrick’s Road

Dublin 9