Sir, - Aine McCarthy (Features, July 4th) states: "Once abortion is performed before the 12th week of pregnancy in legal, regulated circumstances, it is a safer procedure than giving birth, both physically and emotionally." Really? What about the women with perforated uteruses, damaged cervixes, infertility problems etc., following an abortion. Was it safer for them to abort?
What about the 10 per cent (documented) of post-abortion women who need treatment for post-abortion syndrome? We in Life Pregnancy Care Service know from our post-abortion counselling that the number of women suffering from post-abortion distress is much higher than 10 per cent, and their distress is related to the abortion and not some other trauma, as Ms McCarthy suggests. In fact, a survey undertaken in the early 1990s by Life UK found that 25 per cent of women who responded had suffered severe emotional pain following abortion.
A study on suicides after pregnancy in Finland, published in the British Medical Journal in December 1996, concluded that the risk of suicide after an induced abortion was significantly higher than that in the general population. We also have to ask about the thousands who suffer in silence and are not listed in any statistic but who present at agencies such as Life for free confidential help.
I also wish to comment on her assertion that only three agencies in Ireland provide non-directive counselling. This is simply not true and to include Marie Stopes in the group of non-directive counselling agencies is ludicrous. How can an agency which has a vested financial interest in the provision of abortion services be seen as non-directive in counselling potential users of that service? It would be interesting to know how many of its clients choose either adoption or single motherhood after counselling. Life Pergnancy Care Service has no vested interest in its clients' decisions. All our services are free and no one profits, no matter what the client decides.
We recognise the trauma women suffer when faced with a crisis pregnancy and all our services are aimed at allowing women space and time to consider their options in a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere. Furthermore (unlike the abortion providers) we recognise the existence of post-abortion syndrome and endeavour to meet the needs of women by providing free and ongoing post-abortion counselling. - Yours, etc.,
Julia Heffernan, PRO, Life Ireland, Patrick Street, Cork.
