The Eighth Amendment

Sir, – Bishop Kevin Doran has asked Catholics to pray for politicians and healthcare workers who "promote abortion" (News, October, 2nd).

He attributes many abortions in Britain to people wanting “to cling to their own agenda”, and says that their attitude of “my plans, my reputation, my social life, my absolute right to control my body”, were examples of clinging to their own agendas.

Do not all people cling to their own agendas? When they marry, when they don’t marry, when they have children, when they don’t have children, are they not saying “my plans, my reputation, my social life, my absolute right to control my body”? Each and every person clings to their own agenda. Even if some do things for religious reasons, are they not doing so because they have made religion their agenda?

It is good that the bishop is calling for prayers for politicians and healthcare workers who will support abortion (I imagine most will do so under certain conditions) for they will need courage to stand up to those, who, having an agenda themselves, would try to deprive others of theirs. – Yours, etc,

READ SOME MORE

DECLAN KELLY,

Sunday’s Well,

Cork.

Sir, – The substance of your article in Friday's newspaper (September 29th), under the headline "Venues refusing to host meetings about Eighth Amendment, both sides claim", made for disturbing reading. This article recounted how three venues had withdrawn permission to anti-abortion groups to hold campaign meetings, due to "intimidation". Plausible accounts were presented of "intimidation".

It then recounted how three other venues had withdrawn permission to pro-choice groups to hold campaign meetings, due to the political nature of such meetings.

The sub-headline read, “Hotels withdrawing permission for pro- and anti-meetings over ‘intimidation’”. But where is the evidence for “intimidation” in the cancellation of the pro-choice campaign meetings?

Your sub-headline, in attempting to be even-handed, is misleading. – Yours, etc,

HUGH and

VERONICA MORRISON

Carpenterstown,

Dublin 15.