Diatribe
Sir: It was unfortunate for Mary Kenny (3 June) that she chose a remark of mine on which to hang her confused diatribe against what she variously and apparently synonymously describes as feminism, the women's movement and the pro-abortion lobby. To the best of my knowledge Ms Kenny and I have never spoken. If we have she should have known that the position, views and labels she attaches to me are false.
For a start, my views represent neither the 'pro-abortion lobby' nor the 'women's movement in this country' – and I am not sure which of the three of us would take greatest offence at the suggestion that they do. Neither have I ever believed or articulated that women (and men) do not have untidy feelings about abortion (and other matters) and I certainly fit her 'reactionary' category for I believe abortion always to be a 'matter for regret.' In fact when speaking in public (and clearly Ms Kenny has not Only not spoken to me personally but has not heard me do this either) I invariably start by explaining that I am not 'proabortion' and neither do I go along with 'abortion on demand.'
There are many of us who support liberal abortion laws because we believe safe, medical termination of pregnancy to be preferable to the reality of knitting needles (not a legend, Ms Kenny) and unwanted births, but this does not mean that we think abortion good or desirable per se. As for 'letting men off the hook' by allowing them no legal rights over a foetus, if Ms Kenny had read as many case notes of deserted women seeking abortion as I have she would know that large number of men are never 'on the hook.' Whereas both men and women can desert an already born child – thus equally rejecting the 'caring and nurturing' roles described by Ms Kenny – there is nothing the male can do about nurturing a foetus however much he cares.
It seems to me that Ms Kenny needs some lessons in biology, for it is this rather than morality, ethics or the law that defines the roles of potential mothers and fathers respectively. I hope that readers who found the tangled thread of Ms Kenny's argument hard to follow will note her inaccuracies in her description of my position and beliefs – for it is a fair assumption that having got one aspect so badly wrong she is likely to have done the same with others.
Diane Munday
Public Relations Officer, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, 22 Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, St Albans
Previous page
