Sir, – Despite all the apparent philosophical sophistication of her article on abortion, Laura Kennedy ("A thought experiment to tease out religious attitudes to abortion", Online, August 18th) is completely confused about the most basic point of all, when does human life begin?
She writes, “But the idea that life begins at conception – which these days we consider to be when a sperm fertilises an egg – originates in and is inextricable from religious ideology”.
The question as to when human life begins is a scientific, not a religious question. And science’s answer is unequivocal on this matter – an individual human life begins at conception. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM REVILLE,
Waterfall, Co Cork.
Sir, – Laura Kennedy characterises the belief that life begins at conception as religious in nature.
Strictly speaking, that is not correct. It is simply a biological fact that life beings at conception.
Whether it is sensible for a conceptus to be accorded human rights is another question, and one where some sort of ideology has to be brought in to inform the decision. I agree that an appeal to a religious ideology is unlikely to influence the non-religious.
However, in order to tease out secular attitudes to abortion, it would be interesting to hear her argument for when and why it is fair and sensible to apply the right to life to humans, as they grow from a handful of cells, through the various stages of foetal development, and on to birth. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue, Dublin 6W.