Suicide of pregnant woman is preventable

IT perplexes me that any rational person can support the view that a woman who has threatened suicide should be entitled to an abortion.

How can it be argued that pregnancy is the primary issue which ought to be addressed, and not any other underlying issue such as a history of depression, mental illness, or other personal circumstances?

To my knowledge, medical science has not discovered any inherent link between pregnancy and the sudden onset of suicidal thoughts.

Unpreventable medical or obstetrical problems can of course arise during a pregnancy which threaten the life of the mother.

In such circumstances it is entirely appropriate that medical intervention should take place in an attempt to save her life, even if it is at the expense of the life of her unborn child.

However, the suicide of a pregnant woman is an entirely preventable outcome.

Pregnancy is a transient condition lasting only nine months, which is more than enough time for the appropriate counselling and treatment to be given to the mother to prevent her self-harm. Surely this is preferable to resorting to the most drastic course of action possible, namely the abortion of an unborn child? It is universally agreed that there is rarely one single factor which causes a person to contemplate suicide, nor are there any quick-fix solutions for such feelings.

So why should our legal system accept that pregnancy is the primary catalyst for the suicidal thoughts of a mother, or allow an abortion to be presented as a quick-fix solution?

Barry Walsh

Clontarf

Dublin 3