Sir: Mrs P L Cohen letter 12 December does not tell the full story about Dr Aleck Bourne

Sir: Mrs P L Cohen (letter, 12 December) does not tell the full story about Dr Aleck Bourne. Yes, in 1938 the late Dr Bourne was charged under Section 58 of the 1861 Offences against the Person Act with performing an illegal abortion on a woman who had been raped by a group of soldiers. He did it to save the sanity of the young woman but in no way meant it to open the floodgates to the present abortion laws. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted. By 1967 Dr Bourne had become so appalled by the results of the case that he was one of the founding members of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and served on the executive committee until his death. He totally opposed the 1967 Abortion Act and predicted that the legalisation of abortion would lead to "the greatest holocaust in history".

How prophetic his words have turned out to be after more than 4 million abortions, 98 per cent done on social grounds.GORDON BUCHANChairman, Society for the Protection of Unborn ChildrenAberdeen Branch. Sir: Emma Daly's article on the new Protection from Harassment Bill ("For talking, read stalking", 17 December) was astonishing. Spurned lovers throwing things through windows, writing on or scratching cars, telephoning at all hours of the day et al are not behaving criminally, we are told; presumably because of the defence of crime passionnel. (It seems to be overlooked that such a defence is in fact mitigation for behaviour that has already been deemed criminal). "Sarah", in the case study Ms Daly gave, even concluded: "Sometimes people deserve to be harassed." Anyone who has suffered at the hands of a disgruntled ex-partner would recognise such an attitude.

It is to be hoped that the new Bill will encourage the police to take such "domestic" crime more seriously, for there is no doubt that it is criminal, whatever the mitigation.PHIL McLAUGHLINGlasgow. Sir: I am surprised that Camilla Loewe (letter, 19 December) should have criticised our interview with her client Learco Chindamo without checking the facts with us. In attempting to "set the record straight" she has given currency to a number of misunderstandings. Andrew Alderson, the reporter who wrote the story, contacted Mrs Chindamo to ask about her son. He told her he was a Sunday Times reporter and they had a friendly conversation, so much so that Mrs Chindamo suggested to Andrew that he speak directly with her son about the murder of Philip Lawrence.

She gave Andrew the telephone number at Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre; until then we did not know where he was being held. Once he spoke to Learco Chindamo, he made it immediately clear that he worked for The Sunday Times Learco Chindamo then agreed to the interview. I cannot agree that our interview conveyed the impression that Learco Chindamo had sought a public platform for his views.RICHARD CASEBYManaging EditorThe Sunday TimesLondon E1. Sir: Richard Dawkins ("Who needs a euphemism for Christmas?", 19 December) asks, "Have you ever met an uneducated atheist?" I must report that I have The occasion was at a shopping centre Present also were carol singers from a local church. This prompted the following remark: "Blimey, some people will try to get religion into everything. They're now trying to get it into Christmas." GRAHAM MUMMERYSevenoaks,Kent. Less than two months have passed since the publication of Richard Rogers's plan for a millennium dome on the Greenwich peninsula in east London, but already the humorous epithets are flying: it's a dustbin lid, an alien spaceship with a cargo of ping-pong balls, an overgrown saucer held up with chopsticks and string. Meanwhile, with the opening of an exhibition in Greenwich town hall describing the plans, the murmurs of doubt about the wisdom, cost and direction of the pounds 700m-plus project grow louder.