Abortion, AD and PN

I thank Mr Edward Torpiano (The Sunday Times, May 23) for the information he has furnished us with, regarding abortion legislation in Italy. I take his word that the Italian Christian Democrats campaigned against abortion and assume that what he said is correct.

I also add that Senator Giulio Andreotti remained head of the Italian Government even though his party was against abortion. Moreover, in the Eighties his party had supported Socialist Premier Bettino Craxi who even appointed him Foreign Minister.

In later years Senator Andreotti did not hesitate to form another government supported by the same Socialist Party which in the late Seventies had voted in favour of abortion. I would like Mr Torpiano to let us know what did Senator Andreotti do to remove this law when he again became prime minister? Which finger did PN point towards Senator Andreotti at the time?

Like the now defunct Italian Christian Democrats, Alternattiva Demokratika too is against abortion. In the 1990s, AD, through its representative Arnold Cassola, had voted against abortion in a European Greens Conference. In 1999 he was elected secretary-general of the European Greens on one condition - that he would not support the European Greens when it comes to abortion.

And yet the PN felt it convenient to accuse Professor Cassola that his European colleagues are in favour of abortion.

Thanks to Mr Torpiano, we now have a clear picture that the PN does not believe in what the person does but who the person is. This is a case of two weights and two measures.