I wholly agree that the principle of "the sanctity of life" has to extend to all human life, and that is the basis of my views about abortion. My point was that in the case of Ireland at any rate that principle is essentially accepted by the same constitution that resists abortion, and on the same basis.

I accept that there is a case for arguing that an exception can be made where human lives are threatened by the actions of other humans, as in the case of your father's decision - but I do not see that an analogous exception is justifiable in regard to abortion, where serious problems are seen as caused by the continued life of a developing human.

The fact is that some people may be inconsistent or hypocritical on all sides in any controversy. It is not in itself relevant.

A Wikipedia entry puts it well "Ad hominem, short for argumentum ad hominem, is a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of the topic at hand is avoided by instead attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself."