Men will never know the feeling
Their lives won’t be disrupted by pregnancy and neither their careers nor education will end.
They will never carry a child conceived through rape, incest or an abusive partner - a statistic far higher than Mark Daly’s broad figures suggest (Irish Examiner letters, September 12).
They may all agree that if a woman does not want to rear the child, she could put it up for adoption, but they dismiss the physical and psychological damage of carrying and giving birth to an unwanted or seriously disabled child. Some people, of both sexes, seem to live in a cosy, morally simple world where the idea of pregnancy and the rearing of the child are completely separate and straightforward issues. The impact on the mother of physically carrying the child is something very few men understand. I’m not suggesting men should have no say in the abortion issue. After all it takes two people to conceive a child; neither am I advocating an Irish abortion service similar to the US and Britain.
Mr Daly pours scorn on a woman’s career as a factor in abortion - but if she loses her job or is replaced, how can she pay the mortgage or meet the bills for food, transport and indeed her baby’s welfare? Maternity leave is not always an option, particularly in high-powered, high-pressure jobs.
Perhaps Ms Cleary’s critics should reflect on the real consequences of giving birth.
Anne Marie McCarthy
4 St Clare’s Ave
College Road
Cork
