Dear Editor,

The sadness I have felt as I have read the recent letters in support of abortion compels me to write this letter.

My sadness arises because of the continued support for the brutal and wanton killing, with impunity, of the most defenseless in our society, namely, pre born babies.

This cruelty is of course always justified by a denial of the child's humanity and a hypocritical claim of much compassion for mothers with unplanned pregnancies.

The pro abortion camp seeks to undermine the defense of life position by claiming that pro lifers are uncaring of women with unplanned pregnancies and narrowly pro foetus (S.N. 3rd Jan, 2002 B.J. Singh)

Indeed, the pro death camp reached its zenith of irrationality last week in a letter by B.J. Singh (S.N. 3rd Jan, 2002) in which he or she made the vicious accusation that pro lifers are the killers of women who die as a result of abortion (S.N. 3 01 02)

Lest I be accused of being unqualified to speak on the subject of unplanned pregnancy, I must inform you that I am the mother of seven children ranging in ages from 6 20 years. Were all of my pregnancies planned? No. Were all of my children wanted? Yes!!

I know from experience that it is possible to love and want a child despite circumstances which can render it otherwise.

After I had had two children, my first born was struck by a car and rendered instantly blind, dumb and paralyzed. Today at age 20 he is still completely dependent for all care. Did I plan to have a handicapped child? No! Is he loved and wanted? Yes!!

Next, one month after my son was injured and still lay in a coma in the ICU, I found myself pregnant again. Was this pregnancy planned? No. Was this child wanted? Yes!!

Later, I had four other children in the midst of the stress and demands (both physical and emotional) of caring for a severely handicapped child, personal health problems, and an imperfect marriage.

Were all of my children conceived in ideal circumstances? No! Were they all wanted? Yes!!

Why have I had so many children despite these difficulties? Because I believe that having a womb allows me the privilege of enjoying children, as well as the responsibility of nurturing and protecting them from conception.

I am now a widow but I have recently offered to adopt a baby whose father is insisting that it be killed before its birth. Why have I done this? Because:

1) I cannot bear the thought of that helpless little one (foetus is the Latin word meaning little one) being mangled to death to satisfy a selfish father and society, and an avaricious doctor. Yes, I am pro little ones.

2)I wish to protect the mother from the physical and emotional damage or even death which results from abortion, which is a dangerous procedure

3)I wish to give opportunity to that mother to establish herself in education and career.

Is it logical to contend that values and conduct such as I have described lead to the deaths of mothers by abortion? No B.J. Singh, it is rather the selfish, ungodly responses of pro abortionists to women in crisis pregnancies which lead to the deaths of both mother and child.

Over and over again women discover that they are unexpectedly pregnant. Desperate because of their difficult situation the frightened women turn to their community for help. Rather than receiving true support in the form of a soft shoulder and appropriate assistance, they are advised to eliminate the problem by eliminating their babies. Even though most women know that abortion is wrong, they will give up without practical help. Meanwhile, the true motive of the pro abortionist who gives these women such advice is not compassion for the mother, but rather an unwillingness to contend with the inconvenience and demands that the birth will require.

Have we become so ruthlessly self centred as to choose death as a panacea for our personal and social woes? Those who support abortion have indeed become thus. In contrast, those who value human life know that practical assistance and emotional support is what constitutes true compassion, and what women with unplanned pregnancies need.