Eamonn McCann is to be congratulated on his excellent article (Belfast
Telegraph, October 11).
I agree with him that most people can think of at least one circumstance in
which they would accept the termination of a pregnancy as a more acceptable
solution than continuing it, especially if they themselves, or someone they
loved or cared about, was the pregnant woman in question. Abortion does
happen in Northern Ireland, but only for foetal abnormality or for serious
maternal health issues.
Without any law, such as the 1967 Abortion Act, healthcare workers and
patients find themselves in a grey area of legality.
Never mind rolling out the 1967 Act to Northern Ireland as a matter of
bringing us into line with the rest of the UK, we should have some legal
framework in place for these women and their healthcare providers for their
protection.
This issue needs to be decided by either a blanket acceptance of the 1967
Act, or by a referendum based on the views of the majority of people in this
province.
Emotive as this issue is, the only real stakeholders from practical and
ethical perspectives are the woman herself and her doctor and this issue
should be decided privately between them. The State and the Church have no
place in that relationship.
Hi: 16°C / Lw: 11°C
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