No matter how short the life, it has a value to us

The Master of the Rotunda asserts that abortion should be legal in Ireland where the baby has anencephaly or Trisomy 13/18. (Irish Examiner, January 4).

The language of medical professionals where a baby has a severe or life-limiting condition is too often negative and open to misinterpretation, with phrases like “incompatible with life” and “fatal abnormality” leading to confusion and nudging towards abortion.

In jurisdictions such as the UK, about 90% of unborn children with anencephaly (and far less severe disabilities, like Down Syndrome) are aborted.

It would be a tragedy to see the same attitude take hold in Irish society. Every child’s life has value, however sick the baby or short their life is.

Tracy Harkin

Every Life Counts

Dominick St. Lower

Dublin 1