Savita Halappanavar - Independent inquiry the only option

As a nation we have great difficulty with the idea of truth.

We do not recognise that certain situations demand certain responses. We struggle with the actuality that truth is not just a set of facts but that it is a real, active thing that must be observed even if that means — finally — taking hard decisions.

It seems truth must not be allowed to challenge beliefs. Equally, we have great difficulty with the idea alive in any functioning society that one person’s truth is another’s barbarism but they must still live together.