Peadar Tóibín cannot make decisions for pregnant women

(His letter can be read here: ‘On abortion Sinn Fein has dumped its policy that London should not legislate for any part of Ireland’)

This comes less than 24 hours after we heard the awful story of a young woman who attempted to take her own life, having been denied abortion care.

How very hypocritical of Mr Tóibín to insist that he be allowed to make decisions for this woman, and the rape victim he would force to give birth, the devastated couple he would force to continue a pregnancy following a catastrophic diagnosis, and every other person whose reproductive autonomy he would deny.

The freedom to make one’s own choices applies equally to people who are pregnant and to people who sit in ivory towers and seek to dictate the morality of others.

Bernie Linnane, Dromahair, Co Leitrim