Pro-life stereotype was false and insulting
As if this wasn’t abusive enough, he also accuses your columnist of gutter journalism.
While I do not always agree with Rónán Mullen, his account of the Midland Health Board’s decision to arrange an abortion for a young teenager nearly six months pregnant was not only compassionate but depicted a situation shocking to anyone interested in creating a civilised society.
Mr Fenlon asserts that all Irish people of pro-life persuasion are fond of “flaunting blood-smeared photographs” and accuses them of using this case as a political football.
Mr Fenlon’s false and insulting stereotypes of pro-lifers and cheap personal attacks on Rónán Mullen’s journalistic integrity merely show his lack of understanding of this sensitive and important issue.
It is shameful that an agency of this state feels it is necessary to provide late-term abortions, when the documented psychological and medical evidence of the hurt caused by abortion is increasingly persuasive.
Despite the fact that our constitution promises to vindicate the rights of the unborn the fact that the state paid for an abortion only days from the British legal limit shows an inconsistency at odds with any semblance of a caring or open society.
What this case calls us to do is not to resort to petty name-calling, as Mr Fenlon does, but to demand a higher standard of care for women of all ages and situations in this country.
A young girl in care is vulnerable, and this case highlights how easy it is to look for quick solutions with scant regard for the girl’s long-term welfare or her unborn child’s right to life.
Well done to Rónán Mullen for highlighting this.
I look forward to reading his balanced and well-thought out pieces on this issue in the future.
Audrey Dillon,
Main Street,
Ballymahon,
Co Longford.
