Coalition for the Defence of Life
SANCTITY OF LIFE. STABILITY OF FAMILIES. SUPPORT FOR WOMEN
2 ¾ Ruthven Road • Kingston 10, Jamaica W.I. • www.defendlifejamaica.com

PRESS RELEASE

Legalization of abortion;Joint Select Committee meeting scheduled for July 3rd.

Kingston, July 1, 2008: This Thursday, July 3rd, 2008, the Joint Select Committee is scheduled to meet for the first hearing related to recommendations aimed at legalizing abortion in Jamaica. The Coalition for the Defence of Life, a group of lawyers, doctors, business managers, Church leaders, and Youth Groups oppose the legalization of abortion for the reason that abortion is the deliberate termination of the life of a separate whole distinct human being.

A medical procedure cannot solve social problems; on the contrary, abortion often creates new and potentially serious problems including guilt and shame, prolonged depression, and low self-esteem which often prevent the achievement of a woman’s goals in life. In a study done in the USA, of 1,940 women interviewed who had abortions, most of them related that they “were stunned by the grief and the negative impact it has had on their lives. The overwhelming majority of women testified that they would have never considered an abortion if it were not legal. Their testimony revealed that the fact that abortion is legal in the USA gave others a “license” to pressure them into a decision they otherwise would not have made. 75% of women reported that they were coerced into abortion, and they would have not done so on their own.”

The overwhelming majority of Jamaicans polled do not support the legalization of abortion; and the initiative for decriminalization/legalization of abortion was not in response to any broad-based demand of the Jamaican populace.

Experience in countries where abortion is legal prove that “legal is not synonymous with ‘safe’ ”. The Coalition for the Defence of Life strongly opposes the legalization of abortion in Jamaica. The resources intended for the establishment of abortion centres would be better spent providing education and training for women, and adequate antenatal care.

The Coalition for the Defence of Life plans to make presentations to the Joint Select Committee as soon as the public hearings commence. The Coalition stated its disappointment that it would appear that the Jamaican public will be denied the opportunity to voice their opinion in the manner previously promised, that is by a series of islandwide public consultations. It can only be hoped that the people’s representatives will vote in accordance to the wishes of their constituents.

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