Obscene hypocrisy of Irish women having to take abortion trail to Britain

FUNNY how those who claim abortion is murder, such as Rory O’Donovan (Letters, February 18), are never about at the end of an unplanned pregnancy to offer the mother — and it is usually only the mother is left to carry the baby — the support needed so that she can nurture her child sufficiently to give it the self-confidence needed to reach full potential.

We all know of ruined childhoods, lost potential and emotionally stunted adults caused by women having a child they were incapable, financially and emotionally, of caring for. This is why a woman’s right to choose is a basic a human right we should defend and why, in my view as an adopted person, abortion should be available in Ireland.

Instead, in 2008 we still have the obscene hypocrisy of Irish women having to go to Britain for a termination. They receive no help from the State which, with its deeply unhealthy, repressed attitude to sex, has failed to equip people with the skills needed to prevent an unplanned pregnancy in the first place. It seems people would rather a woman went to Britain than be able to attend a family planning clinic to get free contraception and a proper sex education from emotionally mature, non-judgmental advisers. The failure of the Government since 1997 to address the abortion issue or to provide full legal rights for gay and lesbian people, or to ensure people can access family planning, is because most its members are repressed Catholic men who can’t be mature about anything to do with sex.