On abortion rights

There was an interesting and useful letter published in The Gleaner earlier this month, 'Don't confuse rights and privileges', written by Neville Beckford. The letter confronts some contemporary problems in today's world, and today's Jamaica.

Do we have a right today to abort our child, mercy-kill a parent who is sick, near dying, at their request, or put a criminal to death? Are any of these privileges allowed by the state or in law? In today's society, some rights may need the support of the state to be legal.

We have, in my estimation, moral rights as human beings, and legal rights as supported by the Government. In Jamaica, we are fortunate to have rights of both kinds. Privilege, on the other hand, is a special right, advantage or immunity granted to a particular person or group by the state or the community.

Rights include the right to life, the right to choose, to work, to asylum, a right to equal treatment before the law, a right to worship, a right to exist, to be left alone. Education for children is a right, not a privilege.

Why should a woman have a right to abort a foetus? If she is raped, or is too poor to feed her existing family, why should she be forced to add another member to her family? The woman's body is her own and her right. It belongs to no one else. If she is in doubt of the good will of her offspring, then she may exercise the right to terminate, in spite of the views of her community or religious affiliation.

What is happening is that the state wishes to take this right from the woman, and direct what is the future of her unborn child. What is at risk is the right of a woman to make judgements about the size and timing of her family. The reality is, in today's world, women do practise control and contraception.

I read another article recently that suggests that abortions threaten the growth of humanity. There is no support for this as the population of the Earth is constantly growing. There is a suggestion that termination of a pregnancy could deprive the world of a superstar. What happens when you allow one, but terminate the next, where is the superstar? Is it the one that came or the one who was aborted? Who knows the answer to this question? I believe the soul of a body is God's. The body is simply its cover.

case in point

Last year, Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist, was in Ireland and 17 weeks pregnant when she developed back pains and tests revealed that she would lose her baby. Despite repeated pleas over three days, doctors there refused to perform a termination of the pregnancy as they could still hear the foetus's heartbeat, reportedly telling her: "This is a Catholic country."

Halappanavar's condition rapidly deteriorated and she died after developing septicaemia four days after the death of her baby.

I notice there is a plus, however, in that the drug for mitigating pregnancy (morning-after medication) seems to be available throughout most pharmacies in Jamaica. So I think with this kind of support, the question of aborting a foetus should not arise. The woman and family have a choice to keep or not to keep the foetus, and I do believe that such a choice must be made within eight weeks of conception.

Ramesh Sujanani is a businessman. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com