We have invited you here today in response to the recent tabling of the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group on January 15th 2008, and the appointment of some members of the Joint Select Committee of parliament which will be convened to study it.

I address you today as the representative of an alliance of several organizations which have in common a firm and unshakeable stance against abortion on demand, which is the spirit and intent of the recommendations contained in this report.

We stand united in defense of the sanctity of life and we will welcome the input of any person or group of persons who oppose any plan to alter the laws of Jamaica in anyway that will lead to abortion on demand in our country.

In 1989, a memorandum issued to the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Department described the selection criteria for abortions, which included among others; age less than 17 years, mental retardation and sickle cell disease.

Eighteen years later, the recommendations contained in the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group include:

Training of persons who perform abortions is also recommended in the report.
The experience in Guyana may hold important lessons for us; A similar recommendation for training was made when abortion was legalized in 1995.A study published in 1997 revealed that no such training was provided up to 18 months after the passage of the new law; thus suggesting that safety was of secondary importance to the drive to have abortion legalized.

Current advances in medical science permit the study of the developing child from the earliest days of existence as well as intervention to preserve his/her life. In fact, live-saving surgical operations can now be performed on a baby while still in the womb. I submit that tolerance for abortion on demand is a distortion of the traditional role of the doctor.

International conventions and treaties now exist to protect plant and animal life, and to save endangered species. Sovereign nations which oppress the weak and defenseless attract international condemnation and sanctions. The UN convention on the rights of the child more than twenty years ago alluded to the special need of the child for care and protection before as well as after birth. I submit that the very contemplation of legislation to permit the termination of the life of the unborn on the request of the mother is a distortion of the principles of natural law and justice.

Finally I submit when the interest of a woman can be viewed as diametrically opposed to that of her unborn child on the grounds of convenience, this reflects a serious distortion of the fabric of society.

The fact that abortion kills babies is evident, and we cannot ignore the physical and emotional harm which women may suffer after legal or illegal abortions. It must be emphasized, however that these recommendations to legalize abortion would still be unacceptable even if women were not harmed in any way.

We are not unaware that other countries in our region and in the world at large have embraced that which we so stridently oppose today. On the other hand, it is public knowledge that in the United Kingdom, where abortion was legalized in 1967, the time limit was reduced with great difficulty from 28 to 24 weeks in 1990. Because of advances in the care of premature infants, there are now calls even from some liberal quarters for a further reduction.

The legalization of abortion is a cultural moral and ethical Rubicon in the life of a society which once crossed is almost impossible to be reversed.

We are committed to the facilitation of the long –promised public consultation; we are confident that the outcome of these consultations will bear significant weight in the deliberations of the Joint select committee, for nothing less would be acceptable in a democracy.

We are committed to playing a significant role in the provision of alternative solutions to our social problems that are compatible with respect for the sanctity of life. Some of these solutions will be addressed by subsequent speakers, and the work of the Pregnancy Resource Centre is one example.