I WAS intrigued by a recent letter (February 13) from the chief commissioner of the NI Human Rights Commissioner, Les Allamby, under the heading 'A matter of public importance'. I soon realised that this was a serious understatement and 'A matter of life and death' would have been more accurate. Section 21(5) of the Human Rights Act of 1998 completely abolished the death penalty in the UK for all civilian offences including murder but it remained in force for certain military offences.
There is now the absurd situation where a Human Rights Commissioner is calling for the return of the death penalty for a baby developing in its mother's womb if it is the product of rape or incest or if it suffers from any range of serious developmental conditions.
The commissioner is happy to appeal for a change in the law protecting an innocent foetus who is (a) alive and (b) human and therefore has human rights. This is true chutzpah.
It is regrettable that some Irish News columnists also favour the reintroduction of the death penalty in similar circumstances but as they should know, abortion once introduced can't be contained. It is the antithesis of good medicine, which aims to cure sometimes, to relieve often and to comfort always. Abortion impedes
the advance of medical care, just as euthanasia does at the other end of the life spectrum but one can see another 'Human Rights' issue down the line in relation to this also.
HB MURTAGH
Belfast BT9
